Procedures for After-Hours Media Requests
MUSC’s Office of Public Relations is open Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We are closed on all state and federal holidays. Outside of these hours, a PR representative will be on-call to provide condition reports only. Any other requests (interviews, expert recommendations, etc.) must be made during regular office hours. In disaster, emergency or mass crisis situations, the on-call PR representative may be contacted.
- Media representatives (MR) must have the name of the patient for whom they seek a condition report prior to paging the on-call PR representative. Without a patient’s name, a condition report cannot be provided.
- Please double-check the spelling of names and the ages of patients, as this will help PR representatives accurately direct your inquiry.
To reach the on-call PR representative:
- Call 792-2123 to reach the paging operator.
- Ask to page the on-call PR representative. The paging operator will ask you to provide your name and phone number. It is also helpful if you provide the name and age of the patient that you are inquiring about at this time.
- Upon receiving a page, the on-call PR representative will call the MR directly to verify the request. Once the PR representative makes the necessary phone calls to obtain the condition report, he or she will follow up with the MR. This process may take several minutes, or sometimes longer if hospital staff are very busy.
- Again, only condition reports can be provided after hours. A condition report will include one of four words:
- GOOD: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
- FAIR: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
- SERIOUS: Patient is acutely ill; vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits.
- CRITICAL: Vital signs are not stable and not within normal limits. Patients may be unconscious and indicators are unfavorable.
The release of additional information, without a written release form, is in violation of HIPAA regulations. |
