Improving Patient Engagement Through the Call Center

Healthcare organizations that want to improve the patient experience should consider call center optimization.

Mike Larsen is an IT leader with over 19 years in the healthcare industry. He has extensive project and program management experience, including the implementation of Epic electronic health records and the development of enterprise analytics and architecture functions.

Jamie Lynn Ray

Jamie Lynn Ray is a healthcare strategist at CDW with over 20 years of experience leading multimillion-dollar clinical and financial application services, infrastructure, information security and operational engagements.

Clunky appointment scheduling and frustrating call center experiences can drive patients to seek care elsewhere. When patients face long wait times, confusing automated systems or unhelpful staff, their frustration can lead them to switch to a different healthcare provider that offers a smoother, more efficient experience.

Recognizing this, healthcare leaders are increasingly investing in technologies and strategies to enhance the patient experience. This includes implementing user-friendly online appointment systems and improving call center operations. Additionally, some organizations are integrating artificial intelligence into existing platforms to predict patient needs and streamline processes. For example, AI can optimize appointment scheduling by predicting no-shows and adjusting schedules accordingly, or provide virtual assistants to help patients navigate their healthcare options more effectively.

Patient preferences significantly influence how they consume information and interact with their physicians. It is crucial for healthcare organizations to consider these preferences. For instance, some patients may prefer the convenience of texting over navigating a website, while others might value the personal connection and reassurance that comes from speaking directly with an agent over the phone.

By focusing on these improvements, healthcare organizations aim to not only retain their current patients but also attract new ones by offering a superior patient experience. This proactive approach can lead to increased patient satisfaction, better health outcomes and, ultimately, a stronger reputation in the competitive healthcare market.

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Enhancing the Patient Experience

One Wisconsin-based health system aimed to reimagine the patient experience while addressing long hold times and abandoned calls in its contact center. The first step involved empathizing with patients’ experiences. To achieve this, the health system implemented patient journey mapping to better understand and anticipate patient needs at each stage of interaction. This exercise helped identify pain points and opportunities for improvement, allowing the organization to set a clear vision and guiding principles for its initiative.

One key objective was the delivery of an omnichannel experience that engaged patients according to their communication preferences while adding self-service options through a chatbot and intelligent voice assistant. Additionally, the health system identified several opportunities to enhance personalized interactions and prevent patients from having to repeat themselves.

CONSIDER: Three areas of focus to elevate the customer experience for all.

Drawing on CDW’s extensive experience in contact center operations, a team was assembled to assist the health system in developing its platform. The new solution would offer patients a more personalized experience and equip agents with more information, allowing them to authenticate patients without repetition. Integrations with the health system’s electronic health record would enable appointment and bill payment reminders to be sent via text message.

Post-implementation, the health system identified several key metrics to measure the success of its improved workflow. The results speak for themselves: Abandoned calls are now below 5%, 80% of calls are answered within 30 seconds and more than 20% of interactions are handled through self-service.

This success can serve as a model for other healthcare organizations, especially those aiming to improve the patient experience. Achieving workflow optimization in healthcare doesn’t always require the latest technology. Instead, it often involves refining and optimizing existing systems to function more efficiently and effectively.

This article is part of HealthTech’s MonITor blog series.