The Clinical Access Team's dedication and service to pediatric patients during the 2023-2024 respiratory season, and their successful efforts make them an exemplary stand out for the DAISY Team Award Recognition. Many are unaware of the tremendous and complex work that The Clinical Access Team does because what we do appears seamless. What the team does is comparable to air traffic controllers, we juggle a multitude of moving factors simultaneously. We direct the flow of patients into Stanford Children's Health and ensure timely and safe patient arrivals. From an outside perspective, we smile and nod with this comparison. However, SFO closes at night when all the flights and passengers arrive and the gates and terminal empty overnight to await the next busy travel day ahead. The stark difference is that The Clinical Access Team operates and continues to direct and orchestrate the flow within Stanford Children's Health 24/7. Nonstop! From an insider perspective, The Clinical Access Team works in synchrony like the gears of a clock keeping the cadence to allow open doors to patients no matter the time. The Clinical Access Team is the internal gear moving the flow within Stanford Children's Health. Because we succeed and make it appear seamless, our accomplishments should be acknowledged and recognized. The Clinical Access Department is elevated on the piers of The Transfer Center and Patient Placement, ensuring flow internally within the Stanford Children’s Health and externally from regional referring emergency departments and hospitals.

Clinical Access weathered the unrivaled 2023 respiratory surge season, which never calmed but continued to swell into the current respiratory surge of 2024. The lessons and pressure of requests have honed critical interventions needed for The Clinical Access Team to execute the unrelenting needs and demands this year and the team's efforts should be highlighted and recognized. Patient Placement is comprised of Clinical Nurses and coordinators who stand firmly as a beacon of operational readiness to act in the moment for urgent requests, all while assuming the vantage point from 100 feet high in the sky with clear sight of readiness for the weeks ahead. A major achievement of Patient Placement's efforts toward operational readiness amidst this year's respiratory surge is that with the increase in demand for inpatient beds, there were no acute care surgical case cancelations. This success is attributed to the readiness work by Patient Placement. Not only does Patient placements recognize potential flow challenges, but they also recommend critical solutions for the upcoming day's scheduled requests, all while continuing to still triage urgent requests throughout the night. Patient placement demonstrated this ability to act when faced with anticipated low discharges outnumbered by the next days scheduled surgical admission. This foresight and forward planning provided organizational readiness to release surgical cases the following day.

Another shining achievement that Patient Placement has demonstrated, while continuing to meet the demands of the respiratory surge season, is their ability to execute and implement process improvement projects. Patient Placement and the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Faculty along with the Pl department created workflow procedures to increase the number of blue patients collocated on PCU360 to 8 or more patients. The work spearheaded by Patient Placement continues to provide MD satisfaction due to decreased time spent rounding as a majority of the blue team are located on PCU 360 and goal-directed work to promote flow within the organization. During the respiratory surge season of 2024, Patient Placement has ensured flow, opened doors, and maintained organizational readiness, while continuing to improve workflows. Patient Placement should also be recognized because of the team's performance improvement initiatives opening doors to quality and compassionate care to patients meeting criteria for inpatient admission to the Comprehensive Care Program (CCP). A major achievement in addition to improving access to the CCP program is the development and implementation of a financial clearance process that allows Stanford Children's Health to be reimbursed for the valuable services provided. Implementation of a new workflow is a challenge but what makes patient placement's teamwork standout is the ability to pivot and learn new workflows while a wave of inpatient requests inundated Stanford Children's Health during the 2023 respiratory surge season. A patient's journey toward accessing care at Stanford Children's Health is traveled on the bridge of compassionate care paved by The Transfer Center. The Transfer Center is the pier to ensure care through the communication of information and coordination of Safe transport. The current respiratory surge season has increased the flow and demand on The Transfer Center. Pediatric patients have the amazing physiologic ability to compensate when faced with a respiratory illness. During the respiratory surge season, The Transfer Center has been key and influential in orchestrating the correct level of care for each request. Numerous times, The Transfer Center was able to identify when the patient's clinical condition had declined, needing urgent escalation to providers who could assist with acceptance to a higher level of care. The duty of bringing a patient to the correct level of care can present challenges when ICUs are at capacity, yet the work of The Transfer Center as the bridge of compassionate care is steadfast.

The Clinical Access Team, anchored by The Transfer Center and Patient Placement, work in fluid, dynamic, and connected synchronization. Like the gears of a clocks working together we sustain the hospital in time, to maintain the flow moving forward and to keep doors open no matter the time, The collaboration, communication, and shared collective mental model are grounding forces guiding the forward flow on the bridge to compassionate care at Stanford Children's Health. The work of The Clinical Access Team's noteworthy accomplishments are deserving of recognition as recipients of the DAISY Team Award due to their unseen yet vital role in our enterprise.