The Access Center

Toll Free: (800) 472-0111

In Madison: (608) 263-3260

Fax: (608) 265-0759

The Access Center is for referring providers only to share urgent patient needs and to arrange patient transfer. If you are trying to reach a clinic, schedule an appointment or locate a current patient, please visit our Main Contact Page for the appropriate resource.

The Access Center at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin, is a team of professionals who assist referring providers with urgent care needs for their adult and pediatric patients. Services include:

• Rapid consultations with specialty staff
• Patient referral on an outpatient or inpatient basis
• Transportation on UW Med Flight or on CHETA (Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport Ambulance) for American Family Children's Hospital

A registered nurse, specializing in consultation and acute care admission, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Goals of the UW Health Access Center

• To provide a central point of communication for physicians wishing to access University Hospital and American Family Children's Hospital
• To triage calls to the appropriate UW attending physician/team
• To ensure a multidisciplinary team, including attending physicians, insurance coordinators, registered nurses, and case managers work in the best interest of your patient and family
• To place your patient in the appropriate UW Health facility and unit

Patient Transfer

To expedite patient transfers, please provide the following information immediately upon calling:

• Patient name, date of birth, address and telephone number (Face sheet)
• University Hospital patient registration number –MR (medical record) number, if known
• Name of referring physician and office phone number
• Current insurance coverage

Financial Screening

To assure compliance with payer-based prior authorization requirements and to limit potential financial liability on patients and families, insurance information is necessary at the time of referral. Please fax your patients’ face sheet to the Access Center at (608) 265-0759 immediately upon transfer request so insurance verification and requirements can be met. In some cases, the referring facility may be required to initiate the referral with the patient’s insurance company.