Capacity Management and Access Center

The Capacity Management and Access Center (CMAC) is Brown University Health's central command center for managing capacity and flow operations including receiving transfer requests from hospitals and other patient care centers. Its mission is to optimize capacity and throughput by having a centralized view of all the hospitals in the system, along with an efficient and consistent management of patient flow across the continuum of care.

The team takes a patient-first approach, ensuring that the right patient is placed in the right hospital, in the right bed, in a timely manner.

Information for Providers

Call for Patient Transfer

To coordinate a transfer into Brown University Health, please call 401-444-3000.

After connecting, choose the type of transfer needed:

Press 1 for hospital-to-hospital transfer
Press 2 for transfer to one of our EDs

When you call, please be ready to provide:

The patient’s name, date of birth
Referring physician’s name, phone number, and hospital/office location
Reason for transfer request/ diagnosis
- Please have patient’s face sheet ready to fax

Transfer and Access Team

The transfer and access team within CMAC (previously ExpressCare), manages all patient transfer requests coming into the Brown University Health system.

This team is made up of an experienced group of registered nurse navigators and provides 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access, arranging the transfer of patients to any of the Brown University Health Hospitals.

Our experienced team of nurse navigators manages each transfer request alongside our capacity and flow team, and as needed, can coordinate with our critical care transport team, LifePACT, to provide the safest, most efficient transfer of your patient.

LifePACT

The LifePACT critical care transport team, part of Brown University Health, provides high-acuity, hospital-based critical care transport across the region. Our teams are built to deliver ICU-level care wherever the patient is, combining critical care paramedics, nurses, EMT's, and physicians with advanced equipment, including ventilator management, hemodynamic monitoring, and blood product administration. We specialize in complex interfacility transports, supporting hospitals, healthcare systems, and EMS partners with a focus on safety, coordination, and clinical excellence.

LifePACT is now accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), the gold standard in medical transport. This accreditation reflects a sustained commitment to the highest levels of patient care, safety, and operational performance. Achieved through a rigorous multi-year process, CAMTS accreditation validates not just what we do, but how consistently we do it. It represents a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and a team dedicated to delivering the right care, at the right time, on every transport.

Learn more about LifePACT

Capacity and Flow

Our capacity and flow team manages capacity, including patient placement and surges in volumes across all of Brown University Health.

The team monitors hospital capacity at each site and works closely with on-site teams to place patients efficiently, even during high-demand periods.

The capacity and flow team works in collaboration with the transfer and access team, ensuring that every patient is placed in the right bed, at the right hospital, as timely as possible.