Physician Referral

Physician Access Line (PAL)

The Physician Access Line (PAL) is your resource for referring patients to Northwestern Medicine specialists. A registered nurse is available to answer any clinical questions. Our PAL consultants can also help you:

• Find the appropriate specialist for your patient
• Schedule physician appointments
• Schedule diagnostic procedure appointments
• Provide information about hospital services
• Facilitate physician-to-physician communication

We'll follow up by sending all the necessary information to your patient, including appointment confirmation, discount parking information and a map of the campus.

Physician Referrals During COVID-19

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), we are once again scheduling appointments for patients in need of urgent and elective care.

Telehealth

Telehealth has become a critical service during the pandemic, and we want you to know that we can schedule phone or video visits as appropriate so that your patients can receive the care they need without leaving home. Our staff can assist patients with the information necessary in successfully executing these appointments. Some of your patients may have a complex condition and may benefit from the opinion of a subspecialist. Telehealth can be a simple and effective way to connect your patient to the appropriate physician.

In-person Visits

If an in-person visit is necessary, rest assured that we will provide patients with information prior to their visit to help them feel comfortable in the physician office and hospital environment. We have extensive safety measures in place to help protect patients, physicians and staff, including the following:

• A robust screening process for everyone who enters our care facilities, including thermal scanning temperature checks and symptom screening
• Universal masking requirements in hospitals and ambulatory facilities, with face masks provided to those who arrive without a mask
• Robust staff training in the use and conservation of PPE
• A no-visitor/no-companion policy, with some exceptions allowed as necessary for patient comfort
• Creation of dedicated inpatient units for patients with COVID-19 to minimize the risk of exposure to other patients
• Rigorous and frequent cleaning and disinfecting of our facilities, including high-touch areas and common spaces
• Extensive physical distancing policies, with reconfiguration of seating areas and restricted elevator use to ensure compliance
• Touchless hand sanitizer dispensers available throughout our facilities

As we reactivate certain medical services, we are maintaining adequate resources to respond to any potential surge of COVID-19 cases, and we continue to monitor and adapt to the latest safety guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and IDPH on testing, diagnosis and clinical care.

It is our responsibility to continue providing the highest quality care to patients and their families, and we value the powerful collaboration of physicians like you to help achieve positive outcomes. In this challenging time, we remain committed to working with you to deliver better medicine to all of our patients.