Industry News

April/May 2008

AnswerStat Launches Industry Job Board

AnswerStat magazine, in conjunction with CareerBuilders.com, has launched a Medical Call Center Job Board specifically for the readers of AnswerStat magazine.  The Job Board is located at www.answerstat.com/jobs.  The Job Board includes tools for job seekers – to search for available positions and submit resumes – and for employers to post job openings and quickly search the 1.5 million resumes on file.  Additional tools for job seekers include resume tips, a salary report, career advice, and job alerts.

For fast results, there are quick links to the following job categories that will be of immediate use to many readers of AnswerStat magazine:

• Medical Customer Service

• Call Center Nursing Jobs

• Medical Call Center Jobs

• Medical Call Center Director

• Medical Call Center Managers

• Medical Call Center Supervisors

• Medical Answering Service Agents

• Telephone Service Representative

• Receptionist/Switchboard

• Medical Administrative Assistance

• Telecommunication Manager

• Director of Telecommunications

• Telecommunications Positions

• Medical Information Services

Additionally, the "Quick Job Search" allows for customized queries to be made, both within the healthcare industry, as well as for other industries.

Be sure to bookmark www.answerstat.com/jobs for quick and easy future reference.

RelayHealth's RDS Connects Providers & Consumers with Actionable Data

RelayHealth announced its new Results Distribution Service (RDS) to meet market demand for the electronic distribution of clinical results and other patient care documentation from hospitals to participating physician practices in real time.  The secure RDS transmission gives physicians actionable access to the most current data for making informed decisions, sharing with referring doctors to promote collaboration, and communicating with patients to enhance interaction and self-care. 

RDS replaces outmoded and time-consuming fax, phone, and paper delivery methods by using a standards-based electronic data exchange to aggregate and transmit laboratory results, radiology studies, discharge summaries, and other text results from hospital systems to affiliated physician offices.

"Healthcare will eventually evolve to a consumer/retail model.  Patients increasingly want data access, personalized information, and convenient follow up," said Jim Bodenbender, senior vice president and general manager, RelayHealth.  "Our newest connectivity offering, RDS, extends that critical capability by empowering providers with a tool that guarantees infallible delivery of ‘time to data,' promotes health and wellness, and facilitates the engagement of patients."

For more information, call 800-778-6711 or visit www.RelayHealth.com.

ATA 2008 Adds New Forum for Medical Call Centers

The American Telemedicine Association's 13^th Annual International Meeting and Exposition will be held April 6-8, 2008 in Seattle, Washington.  On Sunday, April 6^th, ATA, in conjunction with AnswerStat magazine, will host a special forum entitled The Medical Call Centers' Role in Telemedicine.  It will focus on issues related to establishing and managing medical or nursing call centers, including operation, financing, staffing, and their relationship to telemedicine and telehealth programs.

The course is structured to include expert panel presentations and discussion with considerable opportunities for audience questions and participation.  Specific topics to be covered and presenters will include:

• From Telephones to Telemedicine and Beyond: Dr. Peter Dehnel, medical director, Children's Physician Network

• The Evolution of Telehealth Services: An International Perspective: Lois Scott, vice president, McKesson Canada

• Decision Support Software for Healthcare Contact Centers: Marlene Grasser, LVM Systems Inc.

• Legal, Regulatory & Licensure Compliance for a Successful Medical Call Center: Carol Stock, JD, RN, principal, Carol M. Stock and Associates

This ATA forum is ideal for those interested in learning more about telemedicine call centers.

For further information, visit www.americantelemed.org.

1Call Announces Infinity Software Version 5.5 Release

1Call announced the release of Infinity Software Version 5.5, with Infinity computer telephony integration enhancements and new Infinity and Infinity IS features, including:

• High Density Computer Telephony Integration: This includes MC-3, T1/E1 with Voice Processing, and VoIP with SIP Trunking.

• Real-Time Backup backs up entire Infinity database, including voice, to backup server on a real-time basis. 

• Infinity Unity Voice Logger with server-based recordings that simplify connecting local and remote workstations.

• Infinity IS Directory Contacts: Contact-based directories allow information entered once to be used by multiple directories.

• Infinity IS Directory On-Call Scheduling: Directories can also include an unlimited number of on-call schedules.

• Infinity IS Physician Referral includes search criteria to select a matching physician.

Additionally, the 4U Rack Chassis features configurable backplane options, three redundant hot-swap power supplies, and supports new high-density boards.

According to Amtelco President Tom Curtin, "Amtelco's software engineers have worked very closely with our customers to develop the features they've requested.  The result is an impressive list of new Infinity features."

For more information, contact 1Call (www.1call.com) at 800-356-9148 or info@1call.com. 

CollaborateMD to Distribute RelayHealth Online Messaging

CollaborateMD, a provider of Internet-based medical billing and practice management software, announced it will private-label RelayHealth's physician-patient connectivity solution under the name of CollaborateP2P+ to its customer base of 2,800 acute care and outpatient doctors.  RelayHealth is the provider of healthcare connectivity solutions that allows physicians to communicate with their patients efficiently, affordably, and securely.

As part of the agreement, CollaborateMD's physician customers will have access to RelayHealth's  reimbursable webVisit® consultations and other physician-patient communications services such as prescription refills and renewals, results delivery, requests for appointment scheduling and referrals, health education information, and more. 

"RelayHealth bolsters the demand we are seeing with expanding reimbursable webVisit consultations to payors and physicians wanting secure online interactions with patients," said Douglas Kegler, president, CollaborateMD. 

"This allows us to build our network and reach out and educate more physicians about the convenience and efficiency benefits of using easy RelayHealth online messaging," said Jim Bodenbender, senior vice president and general manager, RelayHealth.  "Moreover, studies show patients, too, want an online relationship with physicians, and RelayHealth offers doctors that opportunity."

Contact CollaborateMD at 888-348-8457 or visit www.collaboratemd.com.  RelayHealth can be reached at 800-778-6711 or www.relayhealth.com.

Amcom Acquires Telident 911 Solutions from Teltronics

Amcom Software acquired Telident 911 Solutions™ from Teltronics, Inc. to integrate with and complement their suite of emergency communications and management products.  Chris Heim, Amcom Software CEO said, "The addition of the Telident solutions to our product suite will expand our E911 capabilities and help an even broader range of customers protect people by pinpointing the source of 911 calls within their facilities with greater speed and accuracy."

At one time, organizational emergency response was thought to involve simple, mass notifications.  Today, however, organizations realize increasingly that effective emergency management requires quick action and mass notifications via numerous channels, as well as ongoing direction of and communications with diverse action-teams.

"We are proud to add the impressive Telident brand to our company, said Dan Mayleben, Amcom Software CFO.  "Not only does this software help protect people, but it allows organizations to ensure compliance with national, state, and local emergency communications requirements."

For more information, call 800-852-8935 or go to www.amcomsoftware.com; the   Teltronics website is www.teltronics.com.

DialAmerica Exceeds Healthcare Client's Expectations

DialAmerica was able to help Care Improvement Plus, a Medicare Advantage special needs plan offered by XLHealth, grow its membership from 4,000 to approximately 80,000 members in only 13 months.  DialAmerica provides vital support services to Care Improvement Plus members and healthcare providers in the areas of claim status, member eligibility, member services support, and all other customer service inquiries.

"DialAmerica has delivered exceptional service, exhibiting a deep understanding of our business model and a commitment to our customers," said Leslie Young, vice president of operations for XLHealth.  "We look forward to continuing our relationship with them, providing high quality support to Care Improvement Plus members and the providers who care for them."

DialAmerica Inc., one the nation's largest teleservices companies, offers pre-enrollment, post-enrollment, data entry, and fulfillment for their healthcare clients.  DialAmerica is a "one-stop shop" of customer care and acquisition services. "We understand the challenges that our healthcare clients are experiencing," said Arthur Conway, president and chief executive officer of DialAmerica.  "We consistently receive feedback from our healthcare clients that we exceed their expectations."

For more information about DialAmerica, visit www.dialamerica.com.

Greg Strehlow Joins 1Call Sales Team

The 1Call Division of Amtelco is pleased to announce the addition of Greg Strehlow to the healthcare and higher education sales team.  Strehlow began his career with Amtelco in 2004, writing Infinity IS (Intelligent Series) documentation.  He then moved to the customer care department as a training specialist, where he focused on Infinity IS training.  Prior to joining Amtelco, Strehlow received a degree in Engineering/Technical Communications from the University of Wisconsin. 

"Greg is a bright young man with excellent people skills," said National Sales Manager Mike Friedel.  "He will be a great advocate for our existing customers and will aggressively seek out new business.  Greg is an outstanding addition to our 1Call sales team."  He will be working with healthcare and higher education organizations in Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico. 

Greg can be reached at 888-320-6131 or gstrehlow@1call.com.  1Call's website is info@1call.com.

CBI Contact Center Conference a Success

CBI's Annual Bio/Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Contact Centers Conference continued its tradition of bringing together the industry's leading experts in call centers and customer service, convening over 100 executives in its seventh year.  The program featured detailed case studies from some of the industry's leading organizations and armed participants with the information they need to improve customer contact and increase ROI.

The dates for next year's conference have not yet been announced.

For more information, contact CBI at 800-767-9499 or visit www.cbinet.com.

Opinion Research Corp Study Finds Top Customer Service Complaints

In the latest "Ouch Point" study from Opinion Research Corporation, one in five U.S. respondents (20%) cited hard to understand representatives as their biggest frustration in dealing with customer service departments.  Running a close second was the length of time it takes to get through to a representative (17%).

"Customer service representatives are the "face" of any service organization and therefore need to be understood by their customers," said Linda G. Shea, senior vice president and global managing director of customer strategies at Opinion Research Corporation.

The top customer service "Ouch Points" are:

• 20%: Reps that are hard to understand because of a thick accent
• 17%: Length of time to reach a representative
• 14%: Reps that are not knowledgeable about their organizations products, services, or process
• 13%: Being transferred to the wrong person or the wrong department
• 9%: Reps who promise to follow through and don't
• 8%: Reps that are not empowered to handle a situation
• 7%: Reps who don't understand your situation
• 3%: Reps who want to debate your situation

For more information about Opinion Research Corporation, call 800-444-4672 or visit www.opinionresearch.com.