By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
The Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) has introduced a comprehensive referral system manual aimed at improving patient referrals across healthcare facilities and ensuring that severe and complex cases receive specialized care.
The referral manual was launched on Tuesday, March 4, coinciding with the kickoff of WVMC’s founding anniversary.
The manual provides a structured framework for prioritizing severe or complex medical cases requiring specialized treatment while reducing the burden of primary and secondary cases at the tertiary hospital.
Dr. Lemuel Umahag of WVMC’s Specialty Centers said the manual addresses gaps in communication and tracking systems in the referral process.
“The problem before was poor communication systems, poor feedback, and tracking of the referrals,” he said during a press conference.
“The essence of a referral system is proper coordination, where patients are channeled to the appropriate levels of care facilities for management,” he added.
Umahag emphasized that primary care facilities should serve as the first point of contact before referring patients to higher-level hospitals like WVMC.
“As the end referral hospital in the region, WVMC is committed to providing tertiary and specialized healthcare to the people of Western Visayas and beyond,” he said.
He noted that WVMC has been engaging with local government units and healthcare providers to introduce the referral manual and gather feedback for its implementation.
Dr. Joseph Dean Nicolo, WVMC Medical Center Chief II, said that approximately 40 to 50 percent of cases admitted to WVMC are referrals from primary or secondary healthcare facilities, with a significant portion coming from Iloilo City.
“The output of this advocacy is to decrease uncoordinated referrals and increase coordinated referrals. With proper coordination, we can control the cases coming in and step them down to different hospitals,” Nicolo said.
He added that improving the referral process could reduce uncoordinated patient admissions and strengthen healthcare accessibility in the region.
“We estimate that with appropriate referrals, we can free up at least 30 to 40 percent of our beds,” he noted.
