Patients call for many reasons. Some people just want to know where to park when they arrive to see a doctor. Others have complex medical questions or billing issues, both of which can make callers frustrated and anxious.
To ensure a positive experience, the healthcare system strives to balance patient calls with compassion and efficiency. However, patient access contact centers and exchanges face the same significant staffing challenges as other hospital departments, making it increasingly difficult to find a balance.
Staff turnover and burnout in patient access contact centers is not just driving up recruitment and training costs. The quality of the patient experience is also jeopardized as the remaining staff have to handle more calls. When incoming calls exceed available agents, staff have less time to deal with more complex requests. Her level of stress increases when the call queue fills up with people on hold.
“Patient access agents and hospital switchboard operators have an incredibly complex and challenging job,” said Parlance, which has been helping hospitals and healthcare systems enhance and automate call processing since 1996. Christine Shields, Head of Customer Affairs, said.
No matter how hard the healthcare system tries to direct patients to online portals and other communication tools, the phone will never go away. “You have to meet people and listen to people where they are, not where you want them to be,” says Shields.
And the phones are often where they are. Some health systems report that for every patient appointment he gets two to three calls. Some patients accept being pushed to the portal for cancellations, rescheduling, prescription refills, billing questions, etc., but many do not. Some patients want to talk to someone when they have complicated questions. Others call because they are accustomed to calling when they go to a patient’s room, or because they have questions about the gift shop or parking.
The healthcare system doesn’t have to treat all calls the same. Leveraging today’s advanced speech recognition technology and conversational AI, we can make the process more efficient for both patients and support staff.
speech power Conversational AI technology solutions such as intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) not only automatically route recurring calls, but also handle redundant tasks in patient access centers, such as directions and canceling appointments. Human agents are freed from the burden of low-level tasks, allowing them to use their highest skill sets to handle complex calls.
“The right balance of live and automated support delivered in the right circumstances makes for a great patient experience,” said Parlance executive Sheila Kelly.
IVA leverages conversational AI and integrates it into EHR systems. This reduces the burden on patient access contact center staff, allowing them to spend less time in queues and more time on complex calls with both skill and compassion. In fact, a 2022 survey of healthcare leaders conducted by Deloitte named “investment in technology to give back time to workers” as one of the key strategies for managing the talent shortage in the industry. there is
The automated system also reduces the burden on extension calls. Doctors, nurses and staff are in constant contact with other health care providers and health system departments. A modern conversational solution that harnesses the power of speech recognition technology connects them quickly and seamlessly.
“This is an even bigger win for many healthcare systems,” said Kelly, noting that changes can have an immediate impact on both ROI and employee engagement. “The right balance of AI and human support in healthcare will have the greatest impact on patients, staff and business operations.”
photograph: Jack F, Getty Images
