Medical Call Center Industry News

August/September 2008

Amtelco Receives Patent for Intelligent Script Swapping

The 1Call Division of Amtelco is pleased to announce the receipt of U.S. patent 7,359,918 for "A System and Method for Intelligent Script Swapping."

The new patent provides protection for the interoperability of various types of call scripts: agent-based, Web-based, and interactive voice response, including voice recognition.  The application included 97 interrelated claims of precedence for Amtelco's method of sharing data between the several types of scripts during the course of a telephone call.

 "I am really excited about this idea, now patented, that we put to use in the Infinity Intelligent Scripting module and that our customers use to save operator time and reduce errors," Amtelco President Tom Curtin said in announcing the new patent.  "Congratulations are in order for the inventors and to all at Amtelco who help us strive to improve our products."

This patent is the twenty-seventh patent received by Bill Curtin and Amtelco, continuing a strong history of innovation that started with the receipt of the first patent in 1954.

For more information on the Amtelco Intelligent Script Swapping patent and Amtelco and 1Call Products, call 800-356-9148 or email info@1call.com.

McKesson's RelayHealth Acquires HTP

McKesson Corporation's RelayHealth has acquired HTP Inc., a provider of revenue cycle management technology.  HTP, a privately held company in Columbus, Ohio, provides connectivity solutions that address the growing burden of uncompensated healthcare.  Designed to connect providers, health plans, and financial institutions, HTP's solutions promote timely reimbursement for patient services, ranging from verification of insurance eligibility to maintaining payment plans that aid in the collection of self-pay balances.  With this acquisition, RelayHealth provides a comprehensive set of services to automate and simplify a healthcare organization's financial management activities with patients and payors. 

"The healthcare revenue cycle market model is shifting from collecting payments after the visit to a more retail-oriented approach, beginning before the patient actually arrives to receive care," said Pamela Pure, president, McKesson Technology Solutions.  "We can now provide the tools and financial information needed to support patients and their care providers as they plan, receive, and manage the financing of their care.  Providers are pleased with HTP's subscription approach that enables them to take full advantage of financial services as often as necessary without fear of exceeding their operational budgets."

OnviSource Unveils AutoAgent, Intelligent Agent Transaction Automation Software

OnviSource, Inc. announced AutoAgent, the newest addition to the company's OnviCenter 6 customer interaction management product suite.  AutoAgent directly affects agent performance and productivity by supporting agents in every aspect of their transactions.

AutoAgent offers automated agent scripting and enables users to easily build their own customer interaction applications and workflow scripts.  It automates and manages agents' training and controls documentation through automated coaching, e-learning, and agent information management.  AutoAgent provides a series of features to automate agent compliance management.  It also automates email and other types of messaging for customer interactions and back office transaction management.  Additionally, AutoAgent integrates multiple desktop views into a single interface, thereby reducing desktop complexity.

"AutoAgent is much more than agent scripting.  It is comprehensive automation software, focused on supporting the agent by preventing costly mistakes, increasing productivity, and reducing training time," said Ray S. Naeini, chairman and CEO of OnviSource.  "It also empowers call center managers to easily build, distribute, and manage custom workflow applications, as well as to serve more customers without adding staff."

Greenwich Hospital Adds E911 to Its Amcom Suite

Greenwich Hospital has selected Amcom Software's Site Alert E911 emergency call identification software to automatically provide information about 911 caller locations for their multi-facility, multi-community organization.  The new addition to the hospital's suite of Amcom call center capabilities will enable responding agencies to quickly send emergency medical system (EMS) teams to the caller's location.  "If someone in our facilities has a problem, we need to get them help as quickly as we can," explained Mirela Weeks, telecommunications manager for Greenwich Hospital.  "Our phone system automatically transfers 911 calls to the Greenwich public safety answering point."  Since the hospital's PBX system could only identify the call center as the source of a 911 call, the PBX vendor recommended Amcom Software.

Amcom will enable Greenwich to use their in-house database to update the Connecticut public automatic location information (ALI) database.  The system will also continuously update the information for each of the hospital's 3,800 phone numbers, connected through their PBXs.  Now 911 calls, with accurate caller's location information, will automatically be routed to the correct public safety answering point for response.

For more information about Amcom, call 800-852-8935.

Americans Believe Health IT Should be the Next President's Priority

Kaiser Permanente, through independent market research company StrategyOne, conducted a nationwide survey to gauge America's awareness and perceptions of electronic health records (EHR).  Key survey findings are:

• Sixty-five percent of respondents have gone online to learn about a medical condition, and 38 percent have used their insurance company's online tools to learn more about their care, up from 29 percent in 2007.

• Americans continue to have concerns about privacy and require assurances from all parties that store personal data that information is secure.

• Forty-seven percent preferred doctors who use EHRs, and 61 percent preferred insurance companies who employed EHRs.

• Fifty-one percent agreed that health IT should be a top priority for the next president to ensure that all Americans have access to their own personal medical records electronically.

"Doctors should have access to information about their patients all of the time, and patients should be able to take a more active role in tracking and managing their own health information online," said George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals.

1-800-DOCTORS Launches with 20 Hospitals

1-800-DOCTORS^®, Inc. announced the successful launch of its exclusive license program for hospitals.  The company serves the hospital market by licensing the 1-800-DOCTORS^® vanity telephone number and service mark in exclusive territories to hospitals for their local, regional, or statewide marketing use.  Charter Members of the service include a number of health systems with an aggregate total of more than 20 hospitals. 

The premier vanity telephone number, arguably the most recalled and memorable telephone number in healthcare, dramatically increases response rates from consumers looking for physicians or various other hospital services.  The program has also demonstrated that it strengthens the relationship and loyalty between the hospital and its admitting physicians.

Included in the population-based license agreement is a tool kit that includes a wide range of media and creative materials, enabling the hospital to begin implementation within weeks.  Hospitals that join the 1-800-DOCTORS Hospital Network are provided the right to use the phone number on all their marketing and promotional materials, thereby increasing the volume of calls to their call center service.

FlexPaths Offers Telecommuting Tips

As gas prices hit record highs, companies can expect to face increased pressure to consider telecommuting.  Karol Rose, human resource author and FlexPaths executive, said that when "Done right with proper planning and processes, telecommuting can do more than ease pain at the pump."

The mistakes telecommuters make:

• Don't set personal boundaries regarding work and personal responsibilities

• Don't find ways to stay physically connected to the workplace and colleagues 

• Think they can work the same way remotely as they did in the office

• Underestimate the need to communicate frequently with managers regarding what's working/not working 

• Don't do enough planning for "what if" scenarios before telecommuting

The telecommuting mistakes companies make:

• Assume that it's not already happening

• Think it's harder than it is

• Assume if I can't see you, you must not be working

• Fail to understand that telecommuting may require a blend of off-site and in-office time

• View telecommuting only as an employee benefit, not seeing telecommuting benefits by meeting customer needs or save the company real estate and other overhead costs

FlexPaths is a Web-based provider of workplace flexibility solutions.

Ambulatory Care Nurses Enjoy Education, and Events at Annual Conference

Over 670 nurses convened for the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) 33rd Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, April 17-20, 2008.  The conference focused on inspired leadership and innovations in technology and telehealth.  For the event, AAACN gathered the nation's top experts who spoke on a broad range of topics, including the latest best practices in management and clinical approaches to care.

Adding a jolt of extra excitement, an earthquake registering 5.2 on the Richter Scale rumbled many attendees awake at 4:30 am on Friday, April 18.  "Our adrenaline was already flowing, and the earthquake certainly added to the excitement," said AAACN's new President, Karen Griffin, MSN, RN, CNAA.  "I spoke with many of the nurses, and they are more passionate now than ever about learning the latest practice advances as the country's health system moves increasingly to outpatient settings.  This is a great time for our specialty."

In addition to the workshops, concurrent sessions, and poster presentations, participants visited a full exhibit hall to speak with vendors about the newest products and services.

For more information, email aaacn@ajj.com.

Home Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Market Approaching $5.6 Billion

The home telehealth and remote patient monitoring market is currently close to a $5.6 billion level and will continue to grow at close to 70% for at least the next three to five years, according to a new strategic report published by Insight and Intelligence.  Insight and Intelligence interviewed industry leaders, conducted surveys, and utilized government and other agency databases, as well as reviews of published literature to provide an in-depth look at the home telehealth and remote patient monitoring market segment of the telemedicine industry.

Companies that provide telemedicine services to health care providers is represented by a number of small to medium-sized companies with average annual revenue of approximately $6.6 million.  These companies' combined average revenue growth is significant, approaching 72%.  Companies that provide services directly to the consumer tend to be larger with an average annual revenue of approximately $121.3 million.  Their combined annual revenue growth is even more explosive than that of healthcare provider companies, with a combined average range of 118.5% to 193.5%.

To purchase a copy of the full report, email Doug Mitchell at dmitchell@liebertpub.com.