Physician Liaison Program

Our program is a two-way communication channel, and one additional way Nationwide Children’s Hospital strives to better serve physicians, their office staff and patients. Through personal office visits, written correspondence, telephone calls, faxes and email, our physician liaisons provide a critical connection to the hospital.

Please contact our physician liaisons if you have questions, need referral assistance or would like them to schedule a meeting with you or your staff. If your practice is not located in a listed territory, please contact Matt Hughes at (614) 355-3023 or email us at PhysicianLiaison@NationwideChildrens.org and a liaison will be assigned to you.

The goal of the Physician Liaison Program is to provide a valuable communication resource to our medical staff, other physicians and referral sources throughout the Nationwide Children’s service area. The liaisons offer:

• Information on new programs and specialty updates
• Referral assistance
• Personal communication to Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Single reference source for any hospital-related questions

Matt Hughes, Physician Relations Manager
(614) 355-3023
Matthew.Hughes@NationwideChildrens.org

Matt is the new Manager of the Physician Liaison Team. He has had a variety of roles in medical sales, sales management and operations over the past 13 years. He has worked with physicians and hospitals throughout the state of Ohio and in surrounding states. Matt is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication.

Matt’s service area is: Ashland, Franklin and Richland counties.

Christina Drakulich, Physician Liaison
(614) 355-0493
Christina.Drakulich@NationwideChildrens.org

Christina has worked with the Physician Liaison Team for more than 10 years in several capacities. Before joining Nationwide Children’s, Christina worked as a regional marketing coordinator in the long-term care field, providing marketing support to assisted living facilities. She has more than 15 years of experience in health care and marketing. Christina is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.

Christina’s service area is: Coshocton, Delaware, Franklin, Guernsey, Marion, Muskingum and Union counties.

Tracie King, Physician Liaison
(614) 355-0488
Tracie.King@NationwideChildrens.org

Tracie has been working with physicians in Ohio and northern Kentucky for six years as a liaison at Nationwide Children’s. She brings more than 10 years of experience working in the health care field both in the hospital and primary care setting. Tracie is a graduate of The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Marketing.

Tracie’s service area is: Ashland, KY, Athens, Clinton, Fairfield, Franklin, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties.

Kim Paris, Physician Liaison
(614) 355-0837
Kimberly.Paris@NationwideChildrens.org

Kim joined the Nationwide Children’s Physician Liaison Team in March 2011. She has worked with physicians in Central Ohio and surrounding counties for seven years as a health care sales representative and has worked in the health care industry for more than 10 years. Kim is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology.

Kim’s service area is: Allen, Champaign, Clark, Crawford, Franklin, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Logan, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Wyandot counties.

Carolyn Figi, Physician Liaison
(614) 355-9854
Carolyn.Figi@NationwideChildrens.org

Carolyn is new to the Physician Liaison Team, but has worked for Nationwide Children’s for 23 years in a variety of communications and marketing positions. Prior to transitioning to the role of Physician Liaison, as part of the marketing department, she worked with the medical staff editing and producing physician publications. She has 27 years of experience in health care marketing and communications. Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Communications from the School of Allied Medical Professions in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University.

Carolyn’s service area is: Belmont, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry and Washington counties.

Making a Referral

Most outpatient clinic appointments can be made by calling Central Scheduling at (614) 722-6200 or (877) 722-6220, or by using the online request form. The following are recommendations for completing your referral.

Provide complete information for the following:

• Correct spelling of name
• Date of birth
• Sex of patient (This is really important as it is often really difficult to determine the sex of the child based on the child’s name.)

Provide as much of the patient’s medical history as known:

• Lab or x-ray completed
• Results of diagnostic tests
• You may be asked to send or fax the lab and/or x-ray reports.

Based on the information provided, staff will:

• Triage the referral
• Make an appointment

All of the information on the form helps the staff contact the appropriate people so that we can communicate with the patient, family, and referring physicians to provide continuity of care.

If a referral and/or authorization is needed, it is the responsibility of the referring physician’s office to provide that information to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. If the Nationwide Children’s Hospital clinic has not received the requested information two to three days prior to the appointment, the program staff will contact your office.

Physician Direct Connect

If you have a referral question or concern, please call the Physician Direct Connect line at (614) 355-0221 or (877) 355-0221. The Physician Direct Connect line can assist with transfer requests, referrals, direct admissions and physician-to-physician consultation requests.

CareLink

CareLink is a web-based electronic health records (EHR) system designed for community providers. It allows providers to view patient medical records, images and documents via the web. Practices can verify billing and coding, as well as receive automatic receipts of patient activity at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. To sign up for CareLink or request access for administrative staff, contact your physician liaison or complete a CareLink registration form.