CritiCall Ontario

CritiCall Ontario is a one number to call, 24/7/365 emergency consultation and referral service for hospital-based physicians in Ontario caring for critically ill patients. CritiCall Ontario facilitates consultations between hospital-based physicians and medical specialists to help determine the best course of action for the patient. If the physicians determine the patient needs to be transferred to another hospital with different resources, CritiCall Ontario assists with this process by finding an appropriate facility with the required resources.

How does Criticall's service work?

CritiCall Ontario operates a Call Centre, staffed by Call Agents trained in medical call management.
Call Agents facilitate calls but do not make medical decisions.

The process is outlined below:

• A hospital-based physician or designate calls CritiCall at 1-800-668-4357 (HELP)
• The most responsible physician (MRP) will provide his/her College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) number
• The CritiCall Call Agent will ask the physician or designate for their name, hospital site and location, contact phone number and the name of the MRP
• Patient information requested may include: patient’s name, birth date, sex, area of residence, location of the patient within the hospital, initial diagnosis and specialty specific questions including pertinent medical history, medications, etc.
• The MRP will also be asked if other physicians or hospitals have already been contacted
• The Call Agent will refer to the consultation referral cluster to determine options based on specialist availability and where they practice within the province
• The first call will be a request for consultation and following consultation, either the patient will stay in the home hospital with management or the patient will be referred to a hospital with the level of care required
• If referral is required, the first (consulting) physician will be asked to receive the patient; if the physician is unable, the Call Agent will contact other sites in the home hospital’s cluster of care
• The order of referral options depends on the location of the home hospital, patient urgency and the current system capacity

Benefits of using CritiCall Ontario

CritiCall Ontario is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. As a resource for physicians, CritiCall provides:

• One phone call to access critical care support: CritiCall will make multiple calls on behalf of the calling physician to find a specialist who can provide a consultation (this saves physicians time that can be better spent caring for patients)
• Patient documentation and collection of data: every call CritiCall receives and initiates is recorded and all information regarding consultations and referrals is documented and compiled into reports that can be used to assist in health care planning at the hospital, LHIN and provincial level (this approach contributes to increased quality management)
• Maximization of health care resources: for physicians in community hospitals, CritiCall is a vital link to the resources of larger tertiary care hospitals in their region and the province
• A system-approach to accessing patient care

For more information about CritiCall Ontario, please visit www.criticall.org or call (289) 396-7000.