ONE HOSPITAL COMMAND CENTER NEWS RELEASES

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ONE HOSPITAL COMMAND CENTER REPORTS 90% SUCCESS RATE

Press Release | 7 Sept 2020

The Department of Health (DOH) today reported that the One Hospital
Command Center (OHCC), a healthcare referral network linked with service
providers such as hospitals, quarantine facilities, and medical transportation,
has successfully closed 2,202 out of 2,447 cases to date, indicating a 90%
success rate in its ability to quickly connect Filipinos needing medical
attention.

Part of the nation’s response to COVID-19, or the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-

Treat-Reintegrate framework, the OHCC is a centralized system that Filipinos
can call prior to seeking medical assistance so that they are guaranteed a slot
at an available and appropriate healthcare facility.

“The high success rate in closing cases is also attributed to the increasing
COVID-19 bed capacities in different hospitals and facilities across the
country, with the OHCC ensuring that the demand for beds and facilities is
appropriately and adequately met,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III
said.

“We continue to work with hospitals and health facilities to meet the
prescribed COVID-19 bed allocation of 30% for public beds and 20% for
private beds as set by Administrative Order 2020-0016. According to the
latest health system capacity report as of September 6, there was an overall
increase in the number of dedicated beds from 20,620 last September 2 to
20,888 on September 6,” the Secretary added.

“Sa mga susunod na araw at sa pangunguna ng mga local governments sa iba't

ibang lugar, magtatayo na rin po tayo ng One Hospital Command Center sa
iba't-ibang region natin,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-
Vergeire in today’s media forum as she discussed the government’s plan to
further strengthen the healthcare system.
“Magkakaroon na rin po tayo ng ganitong center sa iba't-ibang region natin to
coordinate our referral system sa ating overall response. Sa bawat hakbang
laban sa COVID-19, patuloy po nating bibigyan ng emphasis ang people-
centered care.”

USec. Singh-Vergeire added that the OHCC was created not only to help
provide patients with quicker access to medical services, but also to help
relieve the burden on the healthcare system by ensuring that cases are
referred to facilities where there is still capacity. The health official noted that
it will help prevent overloading of hospitals, as well as healthcare workers.

According to OHCC Operations Manager Dr. Bernadett Velasco, OHCC provides

patients with 24/7 access to healthcare referral through its off-site center.
Agents at that command center are able to check availability of medical staff at
the different healthcare facilities in the network, and can even check
for available beds at both private and private hospitals as well as the
temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF) through the DOH’s bed
tracker.

It takes about three to five minutes for an agent to gather information from a
stable patient, including symptoms, location, COVID-19 status, and whether
the patient prefers to be admitted to a private or public health center.

Callers are then given feedback on how to proceed to an available facility, and
in the case that they need assistance with transportation, the OHCC also helps
arrange transportation through one of the partners, such as Bureau of Fire
Protection, the Philippine Red Cross, and the local government units. For
emergency cases that require urgent attention, Velasco says that patients are
usually transported to a facility within the day.

“Unti-unti po nating ini-improve ang ating serbisyo sa One Hospital Command

Center at unti-unti rin po tayo nag a-augment ng mga manpower natin dahil
kailangan po natin sila i-train para sumagot ng mga medical inquiries at mag-
facilitate po ng coordination to different facilities,” said Velasco. “At
kasalukuyan, mayroon po tayong mga augmentation from military personnel,
but sila po ay lahat may medical background, so unti-unti po natin sila tini-
train para po mas marami pa po tayo matugunan na mga callers or mga
nangangailangan ng tulong dito sa pandemic na ito.”
The center can be accessed in three different ways: by downloading the free
Pure Force Citizens application, through the dedicated hotlines; 02-886-505-
00, 0915-777-7777 and 0919-977-3333, and by scanning its Quick Response
(QR) code.

DOH LAUNCHES ONE HOSPITAL COMMAND CENTER FOR FASTER AND

MORE EFFICIENT COVID-19 CASE REFERRAL

Press Release/06 August 2020

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-agency Task Force on

Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), in coordination with the
Department of Interior Local Government (DILG), Department of Tourism
(DOT), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and Bases Conversion
and Development Authority (BCDA), officially launched the One Hospital
Command Center (OHCC) at the MMDA Arena, Makati City.

The Command Center will house the One Hospital Command which will
facilitate a comprehensive and coordinated response to the COVID-19
pandemic by ensuring effective and efficient health facility referral in Metro
Manila.

Health Undersecretary and Treatment Czar Dr. Leopoldo Vega, who heads the
One Hospital Command, assured that the OHCC will ultimately reduce the
waiting time of patients by referring them to the appropriate health facility
that could best provide for the level of care they require.

The OHCC will also facilitate medical transport and patient pick-up
arrangements, provide health system capacity data analytics and risk
communications, and optimize the use of critical care services of every
hospital in the area.

According to OHCC Operations Manager Dr. Bernadett Pua Velasco, the center
can be accessed in three different ways. First, by using the Pure Force Citizens
application which can be downloaded in Google Play store and App Store for
free. It can also be accessed by calling its dedicated lines: 02-886-505-
00, 0915-777-7777 and 0919-977-3333. Lastly, through Quick Response
(QR) codes that the public can scan.

In anticipation of the large volume of calls and referrals, the center will be
powered by an off-site call-taking and dispatch company that will enable
OHCC staff to focus on directing and coordinating COVID-19 case referrals.

All details gathered during the call will then be uploaded to a dispatch system
that will automatically prompt OHCC coordinators from various agencies that
a new case needs to be handled.

Using the DOH dashboards and protocols, the coordinators will identify the
proper health facility where the case will be referred. Once identified, the
coordinator will then call the receiving facility, update the dispatch system,
and provide feedback to the referring facility or patient.

For emergency cases, the call taker, together with the OHCC coordinators will
simultaneously coordinate with the receiving facility and provide pre-arrival
instructions.

“Through the provision of critical services such as 24/7 coordination of our

various health facilities, data analytics, communication, transportation, and
other unified network mechanisms and interventions, we will strengthen our
health system capacity and prevent our hospitals and health care workers
from being overwhelmed,” explained Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III,
emphasizing how the OHCC underscores the whole-of-government, whole-of-
system, and whole-of-nation approach of the national government against
COVID-19.

Also present during the launch were Chief Implementer of the National Action
Plan against COVID-19 Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, NTF Chairperson Secretary
Delfin N. Lorenzana, Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar Secretary
Vivencio B. Dizon, NTF Vice Chairperson Secretary Eduardo M. Ano, MMDA
Chairman Danilo D. Lim, MMDA General Manager Undersecretary Jose Arturo
S. Garcia, Jr. and DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain.

Launching of Cordillera One Hospital Command Center (COHCC)!

The COHCC was officially launched today, October 23, 2020 at the DOH-CHD-
CAR Office led by our very own Regional Director Ruby C. Constantino and
BGHMC Medical Center Chief Dr. Ricardo B. Runez Jr. participated by OHCC
team leaders and members as well as representatives from BGHMC.

This aims to streamline the referral system of COVID-19 cases and optimize
the usage of medical care services at a national level for a unified COVID-19
Response.

Through joint efforts, let us beat COVID-19! and Together, We Heal and
Recover as One!