Start with the question, not a transfer request
The useful starting point is often specific: What am I missing? Does this patient need capabilities we do not have? What information would change our disposition decision? A consultation can help organize the clinical uncertainty without presuming that transfer is the answer.
CrossCheck is being developed for clinician-to-clinician conversations about assessment, stabilization, treatment options, and disposition. It is not a patient-facing emergency hotline or a substitute for activating an existing emergency pathway.
Make the local context part of the conversation
The same clinical question can lead to different practical options in different hospitals. A productive discussion includes the bedside team's findings and concerns as well as staffing, testing, monitoring, inpatient capacity, and access to specialty services.
The bedside clinician contributes direct examination and ongoing reassessment. The consulting physician contributes an emergency medicine perspective. Neither should assume that a recommendation is feasible without checking the resources available at that moment.
Define what happens after the call
Before a pilot begins, the hospital and CrossCheck should agree on how consultations are requested, documented, and revisited. That includes responsibility for orders, how changes in the patient's condition are communicated, and which situations require another service or immediate escalation.
A consultation should not become a reason to wait on necessary care. Hospitals need a clear fallback when the consultation line is unavailable and an explicit understanding of how it fits with existing transfer and specialty pathways.
A practical consultation handoff
- State the clinical question and what concerns the bedside team most.
- Summarize the current findings, workup, treatment, and response.
- Describe local capabilities and any access or transport constraints.
- Confirm the agreed plan, responsibilities, documentation, and follow-up.
CrossCheck is developing pilot partnerships with rural Oklahoma hospitals. These guides describe the proposed model, not a guarantee of current coverage. Availability, response expectations, credentialing, and responsibilities must be confirmed before service begins.