Medical Call Center Industry News

December 2008/January 2009

Amcom Software Acquires CommtechWireless

Amcom Software has acquired CommtechWireless, a provider of technology that connects critical data sources, such as nurse call alarms and patient monitors, to people via their preferred communication devices.  The addition of CommtechWireless will enable Amcom to meet the growing demand from customers - especially in the healthcare, government, and hospitality industries - to further streamline communications, improve response time, and enhance effectiveness. 

Said Amcom Software CEO Chris Heim, "For 40 years, our customers have relied on Amcom as their mission-critical communication backbone.  Today, we have extended this backbone to integrate data from devices and instantly connect these islands of critical information to the people that need to know about it and act on it."

CommtechWireless has operations in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, and Europe.  Its employees and operations will remain in their current locations, forming a new division of Amcom Software.  CommtechWireless CEO Nathan Buzza and President Zane Lewis will join Amcom Software to lead the division.  "We are thrilled about this acquisition and how it will benefit our customers and employees," said Buzza.  "It's a perfect match in terms of products, industries, and company culture."

For more information, call 800-852-8935. 

1Call Announces Third Annual Leadership Conference and Training Seminar

The 1Call Division of Amtelco Third Annual Leadership Conference and Training Seminar will be held Tuesday, September 29 through Thursday, October 1, 2009, in Madison, Wisconsin.  This two-track conference and seminar will again be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, inspired by world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

All 1Call customers, including administrators, managers, supervisors, and lead operators, are invited to attend.  Similar to the previous two years, the 2009 sessions will include topics for the entire group, as well as separate leadership track and training track sessions.  At leadership sessions, guest speakers will discuss new call center technologies, showing attendees how to add new services for their customers and how to use the newest features to save time, reduce errors, and improve staff productivity and efficiency.  The training sessions will provide attendees with hands-on training and detailed report reviews.

According to Amtelco President Tom Curtin, "The 1Call Leadership and Training sessions give all of our customers the opportunity to participate in these information-packed sessions.  We're looking forward to another successful opportunity for in-depth learning and networking opportunities."

For more information, contact 1Call at 800-356-9148.

AAACN Telehealth Conference Sets Agenda

Telehealth and telephone triage nurses can learn the latest in telehealth nursing practice and earn continuing education credit at the array of sessions geared to telehealth nursing at the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) 34th annual conference, March 26-30, 2009, in Philadelphia, PA.  Topics include:

• Due Diligence: Assure Hiring the Best Candidate for Your Telehealth Position

• Implementing a Telephone Triage Decision Support Tool in the Primary Care Setting

• In Brief:  Bridging the Gap: Building Healthy Communities One Caller at a Time

• Critical Thinking and Telephone Triage: Making the Right Choices

• Workshop: Juggling Efficiencies, Quality of Care, and Standard Adherence: Formulating Telehealth Performance Metrics 

• Special Session: Essential Components of Telephone Nursing:  A Model to Guide Your Practice

• Post-Conference: Telehealth Nursing Practice Core Course (TNPCC)

AAACN has worked with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to enhance the telehealth content of the computer-based exam to be offered beginning April of 2009.  At the conference, nurses can take the Ambulatory Certification Review Course on Thursday and sit for the exam on Sunday.  Exam applications must be submitted to ANCC by December 19. 

Amcom Software and Altura Announce Partnership

Amcom Software and Altura Communication Solutions have established a partnership under which Altura will distribute Amcom's communications software products.  The primary focus will be on Altura's extensive customer base of Fujitsu and Avaya customers, as well as on their existing procurement channels for government agencies.  Amcom will provide mission-critical solutions for enhanced 911, emergency notification, and call center management to Altura's voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) customers.

According to Amcom CEO Chris Heim, "Altura's strong reputation as a nationwide provider of end-to-end communications solutions makes them a great partner for Amcom.  We've had great results working with Altura and with this agreement; we're making it even easier for their broad customer base to benefit from our full communications and emergency management suites of solutions."

"We've enjoyed a good relationship with Amcom over the years and are impressed with their momentum in call center and emergency communications solutions," said Bob Blazek, president and CEO of Altura.  "Together, we will continue to help our customers enable mission-critical communications with Amcom's broad footprint of solutions."

Call Altura at 800-654-0715; Amcom can be reached at 800-852-8935.

Bill Curtin Inducted into the CAM-X Hall of Fame

Congratulations go out to Bill Curtin on his induction into the 2008 CAM-X Hall of Fame.  This presentation took place at the gala banquet held in conjunction with CAM-X's Annual Convention and Trade Show held recently at the Deerhurst Resort, Huntsville, ON.

Bill was nominated for this prestigious honor by Paul Lloyd (Answer Plus) and Doug Swift (Tigertel).  Paul presented a brief biography and an inspiring tribute to the long-time industry leader with a touching overview of Bill's accomplishments during his many years in the industry.

The CAM-X Hall of Fame was established by the Canadian Call Management Association in 2001 in order to recognize dynamic individuals whose leadership has contributed to the evolution of the telemessaging and call center industry.  The Hall of Fame celebrates inductees for their accomplishments, their vision, and their leadership, as well as for their tireless efforts to promote, support, and protect the industry.

Formation Strategies Call Center Now HIPAA-Compliant

Formation Strategies announced the completion of HIPAA training by all call center employees.  With this specialized training, Formation Strategies Call Center is now HIPAA compliant - a necessity for clients in the healthcare industry.  Formation Strategies President Ron Bremer said that by "being HIPAA compliant, we can now provide more complete service to clients in the health and wellness industries and are able to discuss medical issues and personal health information with their patients.  This is vital for clients who perform medical research and need help with study enrollment and follow-up or for clients for whom we survey patients about their care."

Formation Strategies HIPAA training comes on the one-year anniversary of the firm providing in-house call center services to clients.  Formation Strategies was established in 1999 and offers services to clients in the health and wellness industries.  

Wal-Mart Continues Move into Health and Wellness Programs for Associates

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced it will continue its push to make health care more accessible and affordable for its Wal-Mart Stores U. S. and Sam's Club associates.  "We have worked hard to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare to our associates, and I think this additional focus on wellness steps us up to a new level," said Wal-Mart U.S. President and CEO Eduardo Castro-Wright. 

One new feature of the 2009 plan is "Life with Baby," an initiative designed to give associates and their spouses personalized tools and education to help them have healthier pregnancies and infants.

Wal-Mart is also helping provide associates and their families access to information that will enable them to make smarter health care decisions, including personal health records (PHR).  Associates will now have the tools and resources to access their own life-long PHR through a secure, personal health care account through WebMD powered by Dossia, a health information technology consortium.

Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced that 92.7 percent of associates have health care coverage, including 50.2 percent of associates who have coverage through Wal-Mart's plan.

Roger Shindell & Carole LaPorte Join Vocantas

Vocantas Inc. President and CEO Gary Hannah announced the appointment of Roger Shindell as president of the company's U.S. operation, Vocantas Ltd.  Shindell will focus initially on addressing the high demand for remote care delivery in home healthcare agencies where Vocantas' technologies can offer a great deal of relief.  "With senior populations exploding, home healthcare agencies are now facing a tipping point," says Shindell.  "I am very excited for the opportunity to bring Vocantas' technology to this market."

In related news, Carole LaPorte joined Vocantas in the role of marketing communications specialist.  With six years of experience, she will execute outbound marketing strategies to meet the demand for interactive voice response systems (IVRS) while cultivating new partnership opportunities.  She will also support Vocantas in the delivery of its speech technology solutions to optimize communications for utilities, emergency management, and customer service markets.