Category Archives: Industry News

News for the healthcare contact center industry

LVM Systems Announces Partnerships with Arizona Golfers

Sarah Schmelzel and Amy Bockerstette to Represent Healthcare Contact Center Provider

LVM Systems, a healthcare contact center solutions leader since 1988, supports women’s athletics by sponsoring two Arizona-based female golfers. The partnership will span over three years, and the team will include LPGA Tour Professional Sarah Schmelzel and Special Olympics Athlete and Disabilities Advocate Amy Bockerstette. The LVM Systems logo will appear on the front of each athlete’s hat beginning July 10th at the LPGA Tour’s Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club and the U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst No. 6.

Sarah Schmelzel is an Arizona native and played collegiate golf at the University of South Carolina. She earned her LPGA Tour card for 2019 via the Epson Tour. She has collected six top-10 LPGA Tour finishes. “I am so excited to join the LVM Systems family,” said Schmelzel.

“With their amazing people, Arizona roots, and commitment to helping others, I am very honored to receive their support and serve as an ambassador for them as I compete on the LPGA Tour.”

Amy Bockerstette was the first person with Down syndrome to play in the Arizona High School Girls Golf Division I State Championship or to receive a collegiate athletic scholarship. She also became the first person with Down syndrome to compete in a national collegiate championship and later earned a silver medal at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.

Amy and her family launched the I Got This Foundation, whose mission is to promote golf instruction and playing opportunities for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. “It is awesome to partner with a company from my home state that believes in me,” said Bockerstette. “I am happy and proud to join the family at LVM Systems. We can do great things together to make a difference!”

LVM Systems’ CEO, Robert Cluff, shared that “LVM is thrilled to support women’s golf by sponsoring two Arizona athletes. Sarah and Amy are wonderful people that also have amazing talent. LVM is happy to play a small part in supporting their dreams.”

According to Cluff, Bockerstette’s “I got this” mantra embodies the spirit of LVM Systems and its service commitment to its healthcare software clients.

Since 1988, LVM Systems has developed leading-edge healthcare contact center solutions, becoming a well-established name in the industry. LVM’s mission is to “Help healthcare organizations help the patients they serve.” To accomplish this, LVM anticipates industry needs and constantly updates its company and products to stay current with today’s healthcare changes.

Leading healthcare contact centers depend on LVM Systems to provide best-in-class customer support, advanced reporting methodologies, and software flexibility. Its configurable software enables healthcare organizations to address their current needs while positioning them to overcome unforeseen future challenges.

Mobius Vendor Partners Releases Comments on Proposed Rule Changes to the HCAHPS Survey Process

Indianapolis-based Mobius Vendor Partners (MobiusVP) presented comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on a number of proposals to improve and modernize the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey process. (See their full comments to the proposals.)

In general, Mobius Vendor Partners supports the policy proposals and is excited to play a role in both increasing accessibility for patients and ensuring that providers are receiving accurate data from a larger pool of stakeholders.

The policy proposals supported by Mobius VP consisted of a variety of methods to increase accessibility and inclusivity, including:

  • Expanded modes of survey administration (website, email, text messaging)
  • Allowing proxy responses
  • Extending the data collection period (49 days)
  • Requiring a Spanish-language option
  • Removal of interactive voice response (IVR) and multi-site options

With these changes to the HCAHPS survey, providers will be able to collect significantly more data from patients, giving the healthcare industry an opportunity to further improve their practices and enhance the overall patient experience.

Patients-Count® is a tool that assists hospitals in the online deployment of the HCAHPS survey. As one of the most accessible patient feedback management products on the market, Patients-Count helps measure not only episodes of care, but every step of the patient and healthcare employee journey.

In 2021, Mobius Vendor Partners was the recipient of the BBB Torch Award for Ethics and Commitment to Customers, which recognizes companies throughout North America that maintain an outstanding dedication to upholding ethical business standards and promoting trust in the marketplace, a rare accolade for a Business-to-Business (B2B) company.

Mobius is an active member of several community and industry organizations, including the Indy Chamber, OneZone Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Technology & Innovation Association (ITIA), Conscious Capitalism’s Senior Leadership Network, the Beryl Institute, the American Hospital Association, and the Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD).

Mobius is a member of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Bob Kobek, CEO of Mobius Vendor Partners, sits on the ARDA Membership Committee and is a founding member of the ARDA Women in the Industry (WIN). Kobek has also served as the Interim President of the American Teleservices Association.

Mobius Vendor Partners is also an Industry Partner for the Computer Science Industry Partnership Program (CSIPP), which is part of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Department of Computer and Information Science in the Purdue School of Science, to help train and inspire the next generation of technology professionals.

For more information about Mobius Vendor Partners, visit www.MobiusVP.com.

TriageLogic White Paper Helps Operators Improve the Accuracy of Medical Messages to Providers

TriageLogic released a white paper that shares data they’ve compiled on the accuracy of messages that answering services send to providers. They found that close to 30 percent of messages sent were insufficient to alert a provider of a highly urgent call, increasing provider liability and potential patient morbidity and mortality. The company demonstrates how an easy-to-use tool that leverages doctor-created augmented intelligence can dramatically improve the quality and accuracy of the messages received by the provider.

Normally, when patients call their providers, they’re first greeted by nonclinical operators, like front desk agents or call center representatives. These operators determine the reasons why patients are calling and forward their messages to the appropriate nurses or providers for review. In many cases, triage nurses are responsible for vetting these messages and determining how urgent they are before calling patients back. When messages are inaccurate, it can potentially delay care and lead to poor health outcomes.

TriageLogic’s augmented intelligence-based module (MedMessage Assist) reduced callback time by 50 percent for all calls resulting in an emergency disposition. In addition, where some answering services were seeing intake errors as much as 40 percent of the time, MedMessage Assist was able to get that number down to less than 1 percent—better than any training course has been able to provide. Plus, it only takes about 15 seconds to collect additional information.

Does this mean that nonclinical operators are no longer needed? Hardly, says Dr. Charu Raheja, CEO of TriageLogic. “The goal of MedMessage Assist has always been about making it easier for nonclinical operators to do their jobs well, not replace them. By some estimates, nonclinical staff account for half of all healthcare workers, and are vital to any practice’s care coordination. What matters is giving them the best tools to thrive in their roles and pave the way for exceptional patient outcomes.”

So how does MedMessage work? TriageLogic explains that this module can be integrated with an existing health management system to analyze the text that nonclinical operators type while they’re listening to patient callers. MedMessage Assist will then prompt operators with one or more questions for them to ask their patients when the symptoms described warrant additional information to determine their severity. In this manner, messages are as detailed as possible for providers and triage nurses to identify the urgency of each call.

“We’ve seen how well this has worked for Southern Voices,” notes Dr. Raheja, “and we’ve already received several excited inquiries from other clients who are ready to try it out with their teams.”

Contact TriageLogic to learn more about MedMessage Assist and how to deliver more accurate messages to your providers. Following a demonstration, this service can be up and running within a day.

TriageLogic is a URAC accredited, physician-lead provider of high-quality telehealth services, remote patient monitoring, nurse triage, triage education, and software for telephone medicine. Their comprehensive solutions include integrated mobile access and two-way video capability. The TriageLogic group serves over 9,000 physicians and covers over 25 million lives nationwide.

Amtelco Installs Solar Panels

1Call, a division of Amtelco, announced that Amtelco has completed its long-awaited solar panel project and had begun using solar energy to help reduce its carbon footprint and fossil energy usage. Amtelco is forecasting to offset its energy consumption with solar power by 59 percent of its current use.

In the past, Amtelco’s building manager had researched how their HQ building in McFarland, WI, could cover a significant portion of its roof with solar. At the time, it wasn’t a feasible option for the company. However, in the fall of 2021, Tom Curtin, CEO of Amtelco, decided to take another look. Tom says, “Knowing that our roof has 100% exposure to that beautiful southern sun would always make me think, ‘Someday it would be so great to be able to go green with that roof.’ I am so excited that through all the Amtelco teams’ efforts, we finally made that dream a reality!”

According to the EPA, electric power generates the second largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Tom continues, “For many years, it was just a wonderful wish to reduce the greenhouse gas contribution we make. We are fortunate that Amtelco has been successful. And so, we invested in our community and the future of our families through renewable energy.”

Amtelco has been eco-minded and dedicated to recycling in the office for years. Recently, Amtelco concluded a six-month period of collecting eligible plastic bags, films, wraps, etc., for the Trex Company’s Recycle Beyond the Bag program to earn a Trex® bench made from the recycled materials.

As a leading provider of innovative communication applications for more than 45 years, the 1Call Division of Amtelco is a leader in developing software solutions and applications created for the specific needs of the healthcare contact center marketplace.

Solution Helps Customers Automate Call Handling and Improve Customer Service

Amtelco Genesis Intelligent Series v5.5 rated “Avaya Compliant” with Avaya Aura® Session Manager and Avaya Aura Communication Manager

1Call, a division of Amtelco and a leader in developing software solutions and applications designed for the healthcare communications and contact center marketplace, announced its Genesis Intelligent Series v5.5 is compliant with key Avaya solutions—helping customers enhance call processing to prioritize critical calls, and improve call routing and management. Avaya is a global leader in solutions that enhance and simplify communications and collaboration.

The Genesis solution delivers an all-inclusive, enterprise-wide contact center with skills-based automatic call distribution (ACD), built-in speech recognition, text to speech, and voice services helping improve call routing and management. Using the software, customers can track metrics with customizable reporting, enhance accountability with call logging and video screen capture, connect remote agents, and manage automated dispatch and on-call scheduling. The Genesis solution can be operated in a virtual server environment or in the cloud. The application is now compliance-tested by Avaya for compatibility with Avaya Aura Session Manager 10.1 and Avaya Aura Communication Manager 10.1 via SIP Trunk.

“We are thrilled that our Genesis Intelligent Series v5.5 has successfully completed this latest Avaya DevConnect compliance testing,” said Tom Curtin, CEO of Amtelco and 1Call. “Amtelco’s ongoing membership as a technology partner in the Avaya DevConnect program helps ensure that we provide our shared customers with the newest technology advancements.”

Eric Rossman, vice president, Strategic Alliances and Technology Partners, Avaya, said, “Technology partners like Amtelco are helping Avaya customers increase their efficiency, productivity, and strengthen their competitiveness.”

Amtelco is a Technology Partner in the Avaya DevConnect program, an integral network of Avaya experts, partners, developers, and customers. This unique global collaborative is exceptionally positioned to deliver the next-gen customer and employee experiences businesses need through Avaya’s Cloud Communications Portfolio, including the Avaya Experience Platform. Partners in the DevConnect program develop, market, and sell innovative third-party products that interoperate with Avaya technology and extend the value of a company’s investment in its network.

As a Technology Partner, Amtelco can submit products to Avaya for compliance testing, where a team of DevConnect engineers develops a comprehensive test plan for each application to verify its Avaya compatibility. This enables customers to confidently add best-in-class capabilities to their network without having to replace their existing infrastructure—helping speed deployment of new applications and reduce both network complexity and implementation costs.

The 1Call Division of Amtelco is the leader in developing software solutions and applications designed for the specific needs of the healthcare call center marketplace. 1Call features a complete line of modular solutions specifically designed to streamline enterprise-wide communications, save an organization’s limited resources, and make them tremendously efficient, helping them bring wellness to their members and their bottom line.

Learn more about how Amtelco is part of Avaya’s DevConnect program and Avaya’s other partner programs.

1Call Announces that the Wisconsin State Journal Named Amtelco as a Winner of the Madison, WI Top Workplaces 2023 Award

1Call, a division of Amtelco, announced that Amtelco has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2023 honor by the Wisconsin State Journal Top Workplaces.

The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

Amtelco, a family-owned business located in McFarland, Wisconsin, has been a trusted name in call center systems, software applications, and secure texting technologies for over 45 years. Founder Bill Curtin, II, and Amtelco have received more than 30 U.S. Patents for telephony software, data handling methodologies, and telephone switching devices. Millions of calls are processed every day by Amtelco systems around the world.

Mr. Curtin’s ingenuity and generous spirit are reflected throughout the company. Amtelco has earned industry praise with its award-winning products and proudly supports local and international charities.

Both employees and customers are treated like family. Matt Heron, President, and CEO of AnswerFirst, an Amtelco customer, states, “Working with the Amtelco folks has always been a pleasure, and I can’t say enough about you all. I am always impressed at your success in creating a strong culture, lasting relationships, and people-first support.”

Amtelco’s 1Call Division is the leader in developing software solutions designed for the specific needs of the healthcare call center marketplace.

Sales and Marketing Book Released

Peter Lyle DeHaan Publishes New Book: Sticky Sales and Marketing

Peter Lyle DeHaan released his latest book, Sticky Sales and Marketing: Produce Positive Long-Term Results and Relationships on December 1. Sticky Sales and Marketing addresses sales management, sales tips, marketing management, and marketing tactics.

In Sticky Sales and Marketing, Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD breaks down sales and marketing strategies in a coherent story-driven process and highlights what works and what doesn’t.

No matter if you’re selling products, services, or ideas, Sticky Sales and Marketing teaches why some sales and marketing techniques work—and others don’t—and what impacts the bottom line the most.

Through insightful stories and examples, you’ll learn how to:

  • Close more sales and gain repeat clients.
  • Understand the keys to a high-producing sales team.
  • Know what marketing channels will work best for you.
  • Apply marketing tactics proven to work.
  • Feel confident in your sales and marketing ability.

Sticky Sales and Marketing will not only teach you the building blocks to marketing that stick, but how to escape marketing failures that could hurt your reputation and your business.

Sticky Sales and Marketing is book two in the beloved Sticky series. Book one is Sticky Customer Service. Future titles include Sticky Leadership and Management, and Sticky Living.

Sticky Sales and Marketing is available now in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat. He’s a passionate wordsmith whose goal is to change the world one word at a time.

Read more of his articles or his book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.

Ambs Call Center Wins Customer Service Awards for 12 Years Running


Ambs Call Center is an award-winning call center that has been in business since 1932. It is a mission-driven company that has stuck to its values through decades of fluctuating market conditions, only to emerge as a frontrunner in high-tech business communication.

For the twelfth year in a row, Ambs Call Center has won customer service awards for excellence from CAM-X and ATSI, two trade organizations that recognize outstanding operations in the industry.

Ambs Call Center CEO Aaron Boatin is proud of his company’s consistently high performance. He explains, “The core of what we do is help our clients communicate better with their customers. Customers are fed up with the frustration that offshore call centers create with language barriers. Our team solves this with friendly voices on every call which makes our clients’ customers happy. That’s what makes this independent recognition so gratifying.”

Now in its fourth generation of family ownership and operation, the leaders at Ambs Call Center have created a business model that supplies a distinct experience for people, elevating the importance of the customer experience, call success, and the lost art of courteousness. These priorities are baked into operations, staff training, and performance evaluations.

Ambs Call Center offers a full suite of telephonic answering services for businesses in all industries, including healthcare, IT, property management, and more. Services include virtual receptionists, secure text messaging, call centers, and automated attendants.

TriageLogic Publishes E-book on How to Create a Successful RPM Program

While healthcare providers acknowledge the value of remote patient monitoring (RPM), many have found it difficult to set up a successful program. TriageLogic recently published an RPM e-book that outlines the common reasons why providers may experience setbacks with implementation, along with the steps they can take to overcome them.

These solutions have been shown to reduce medical expenses, offer income to providers in the form of reimbursements, and greatly improve patient health outcomes.

What Is RPM?

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is part of a new era of remote medical services and technology. Most remote patient care takes place over the phone or a two-way video. RPM goes one step further by helping doctors regularly collect and evaluate patient data using electronic medical devices. 

These RPM tools track patients’ vitals like blood pressure, glucose, and pulse ox, and relay this data back to their providers for review. At minimum, a successful RPM program depends on having the right amount of reliable RPM devices, as well as enough staff to monitor recorded data, identify when devices are being used improperly, and notify patients when symptoms indicate possible medical concerns.

The Case for Implementing RPM Technology

The main reason for developing remote patient monitoring was to improve a provider’s ability to catch changing vitals in chronically ill patients.

Some changes may be sudden or happen between normal patient follow-up appointments. Others may simply be undetectable until it’s too late to respond. RPM serves as an early warning symptom that enables providers to intervene even before patients experience troubling symptoms. 

Considering how much money is required cumulatively to treat patients with chronic disease, and the fact that six in ten Americans suffer from at least one type, it should come as no surprise that a successful RPM program can offer substantial benefits to patients and the healthcare system.

For providers, this means insurance companies are now open to reimburse them for remote patient care. 

Challenges for a Successful RPM Program

While this technology offers greater visibility over the changing health of chronically ill patients, RPM isn’t without its own challenges. These can range from RPM vendor selection to properly billing for RPM. One of the biggest issues is the ability to manage and respond to the regular influx of health data.

That’s why TriageLogic expanded their nurse telephone and telehealth triage services to include data review for remote patient monitoring. When healthcare providers want to outsource this service, TriageLogic will put them in touch with an established RPM partner.

That partner will supply the number of needed devices for the provider to administer, while TriageLogic will review health data from those devices through their call center of registered nurses.

Their RNs go through a strict hiring process to verify their knowledge and capabilities when it comes to patient symptom evaluation, allowing them to identify when RPM readings are enough of a concern to warrant notifying the provider and the patient. Nurses also use device-specific and disease-specific protocols to evaluate patients. 

The Future of RPM

As more healthcare providers adopt this technology, their patients will experience greater health outcomes. Charu Raheja, CEO of TriageLogic, understands firsthand what a powerful effect this can have: “When my father passed away from a massive heart attack in 2009 because he did not call a healthcare provider to evaluate his symptoms, our mission became that much more important to me. I could see … how providing remote health care … to address [patients’] symptoms could save lives.”

Implement Your RPM Solution

Providers who are interested in creating a successful RPM program can download TriageLogic’s e-book. Those who wish to partner with TriageLogic’s outsourced RPM data review can contact them directly at 800-723-4290 or through their contact form.

Founded in 2007, TriageLogic is a URAC accredited, physician-led provider of high-quality telehealth services, remote patient monitoring, nurse triage, triage education, and software for telephone medicine. Their comprehensive solutions include integrated mobile access and two-way video capability. The TriageLogic group serves over 9,000 physicians and covers over 25 million lives nationwide.

MobiusVP Expands into Healthcare Market with Launch of Patients-Count

Offers customized platform to capture, measure, and improve patient and employee experience

Mobius Vendor Partners (MobiusVP) expands into the healthcare market with the launch of its latest product, Patients-Count®. Patients-Count is an online enterprise feedback management system tailored to the healthcare industry to capture, measure, and report patient and employee experience at each step of the care journey.

“Patient experience and employee satisfaction have never been more important as we’ve faced unprecedented healthcare challenges. We’re launching Patients-Count to help healthcare providers measure and manage every important key performance indicator at every touch point of a patient’s journey to help them meet their strategic goals,” said Bob Kobek, president of MobiusVP, a business process design, management, and performance improvement company.

Patients-Count is an extension of MobiusVP’s signature customer feedback solution, CustomerCount®, which launched in 2007 in the hospitality, timeshare, and contact center industries and has expanded into numerous vertical markets and industries.

“While the hospitality and healthcare industries are distinct, there are many similarities when it comes to measuring the guest and patient journey,”Kobek said. “Our 24-year, experienced consulting firm is very skilled in learning business processes, and we have over fifteen years of experience understanding customer and employee feedback in the hospitality industry. We’re well-positioned to enter the healthcare market and help healthcare organizations meaningfully measure and manage their patient and employee experience.”

Patients-Count offers a customized survey platform that enables healthcare providers to measure not only episodes of care, but every step of the patient journey, including between-care episodes. It also features the strategic ability to capture and report the experience of all stakeholders, including family members and critical members of the care team to understand and improve the wholistic patient experience.

“Many healthcare organizations rely on traditional survey methods to capture patient feedback and are missing key opportunities to use that data to improve outcomes,” Kobek said. “Our customized platform and consulting experience will help arm organizations with reliable data, robust reporting and actionable results to improve patient and employee experience and meet their strategic goals.”

To launch into the healthcare industry, Patients-Count went through months of a rigorous application process to earn its HIPAA certification. Patients-Count also complies with global, federal, state, and industry data privacy regulations, including W3C, TCPA, GDPR, and CCPA.

Patients-Count supports over forty languages with seventy report templates that help remove barriers to accessibility and understanding. It also features the ability to deploy surveys via email, SMS, QR code, WhatsApp, website, telephone, and mail (via scanning technology).

Watch a video of Patients-Count. Visit www.MobiusVP.com for more information about Mobius Vendor Partners, Patients-Count, and CustomerCount. Follow Mobius Vendor Partners and its products on LinkedIn.