Please share with all applicable staff.
Please note: This change is for IFTs from facilities in rural and northern Manitoba. The process within the WRHA remains status quo.
A new webform is now available for submitting requests for Inter-Facility Transports (IFTs) through the Virtual Emergency Care and Transfer Resource Service (VECTRS).
Up until now sending health facilities have only able to request IFTs 24 hours in advance. Since November 5, 2024, when VECTRS assumed the responsibility for the triage and prioritization of IFTs, it has become apparent a change is required to improve the utilization of ambulances and stretcher services, to reduce the number of cancelled or rescheduled appointments, and to reduce the need to call (and often wait) to request IFTs.
What is Happening?
To mitigate those challenges, a webform has been created that will enable IFTs to be requested greater than 24 hours in advance of the scheduled appointment where the transport requires a ground ambulance, air ambulance or stretcher transport service. All patients must be medically stable.
The form is located on the VECTRS web page.
We anticipate this form will make the process easier for sending facilities who will now be able to request IFTs further in advance, allowing for better management of expected workloads, a reduction in the amount of calls and fewer last-minute cancelations of appointments which negatively impact patient care.
We anticipate this form will make the process easier for sending facilities who will now be able to request IFTs further in advance, allowing for better management of expected workloads, a reduction in the amount of calls and fewer last-minute cancelations of appointments which negatively impact patient care.
The process for same-day or unstable patients has not changed – call VECTRS 204-949-4000 to request the IFT.
We greatly appreciate your support in facilitating this change. We appreciate the timing directly before the holidays may not be ideal however we feel this is an important, value-added service that will help sites over the holiday season and beyond.
Thank you to Digital Shared Services for their work in helping create the webform and finalizing it this past week.
Any questions regarding the webform or any other VECTRS related questions (not patient care related questions):
Rob Grierson, Chief Medical Officer, Shared Health Emergency Response Services, Michelle Piwniuk, Executive Director, Specialty Services & Coordination, Shared Health Emergency Response Services