Case Study – Transitioning to a Centralized Patient Call Center
Proven Successes
Proven Successes
Case Study
Background
A large heath system had nine (9) primary care locations with each site independently responsible for its patient telephone calls. As patient phone calls increased over time, many sites struggled to adequately staff its telephone line.
Process Used
Phone call data was analyzed at the system and site level. Call volume, average call length and call abandonment rate were used as key performance indicators. These were reviewed per FTE and time of day to identify trends. Data was shared with clinic leadership so each could see where they stood among all the sites and vs. MGMA benchmarks. The potential impact of moving toward a centralized call center was then discussed in detail.
Issues Addressed
- 1
High average call length led to an extraordinarily high call abandonment rate.
- 2
Staff at many sites felt call volume was impacted by patients repeatedly calling back.
- 3
Nurse triage functions were not consistent and in some sites not being handled by appropriate personnel.
- 4
Staff training on telephone calls was insufficient for the variety and complexity of calls.
- 5
Patient satisfaction scores were suffering throughout.
The Solution
A centralized patient call center was implemented to encompass patient calls for all nine sites. Appropriately staffed, well-trained team members maintained the central call center, including a nurse triage team. Enhanced reporting was developed and monitored the impact on patient satisfaction. Finally, a “secret shopper” program was designed as part of ongoing staff training and testing.
