UVA has created a new position that gives referring physicians a direct point of contact to the inpatient units within the Children’s Hospital. As Outreach Coordinator, Lisa Letzkus, NP, can direct specific concerns to the appropriate provider, manage systems issues and help institute lasting process changes based on your feedback.
When was the Outreach Coordinator position created?
I started in this role at the Children’s Hospital in November. It was created in response to a need identified by primary care providers who wanted more communication from the Children’s Hospital related to inpatient admissions and discharges.
Why is this role important?
At UVA Children’s Hospital, we are often consultants, so patients will return to their medical home after being treated here. It’s important that we maintain a strong relationship with referring physicians and ensure open communication, especially with inpatients, so that children continue to receive excellent care.
What is a typical day for an Outreach Coordinator?
Currently I am working with the physician relations team to get out into the community and meet providers. Putting a face with the name is important to me because I want to establish a relationship with referring doctors so that they can reach out to me directly when they have issues.
In general, I deal with issues within the Children’s Hospital involving inpatient communication. My priority is to ensure that referring physicians are receiving ongoing status updates, whether a patient is being admitted or discharged. I ensure documentation is getting to the right specialist. These may not be individual issues with a specific provider or patient, but rather issues with the system as a whole that may impact processes. If there are complaints or problems, then I can change the process to address them.
Right now I am working on a broader discharge process to ensure the proper communication gets back to the pediatrician, as well as an inpatient central scheduling initiative and a system for obtaining outside records for patients being seen in our outpatient clinics.
Why do you feel you are well suited for this position?
I am an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner so I understand the medical complexity of many of these patients. I can easily direct doctors to the appropriate specialist and I understand the importance of accurate and timely information.
Do you have other roles within the Children’s Hospital?
In addition to my role as Outreach Coordinator, I am part of the inpatient complex care consult service for children with medical complexity; I also work in the NICU as a nurse practitioner and I am involved in research 25 percent of the time.
How can a referring physician contact you regarding an inpatient admission or discharge?
I can be reached by email at LMC8C@virginia.edu, by phone at 540.247.9443 or by paging 3836. Just call 434.982.3500 and provide the pager number.