What are the advantages to the primary care physician of his/her patient’s participation in SCCMS?
Most of the patient-initiated contacts with SCCMS staff are not cardiac emergencies and do not require the immediate attention of the primary physician. The clinical outcomes of patient-initiated telephone encounters deemed to require the immediate attention of the primary physician are summarized and communicated with the physician within 24-72 hours of the patient’s initial contact. At the time of the patient’s enrollment, the physician can elect to be contacted for all patient-initiated contacts or only those requiring a same-day clinic visit or ER visit. In any case, SCCMS staff follows an established protocol to meet the patient’s needs and communicate with the primary physician.
