Customer Spotlight
University Health Care System
Augusta, Georgia
What began in 1818 in a two-story wooden building in the heart of Augusta
has grown to become University Health Care System, a multifaceted system
of care that touches the lives of thousands of patients each year.
University Health Care System admits 21,000 patients each year, delivers
3,000 babies each year, and performs 5,000 procedures each year in the
University's Georgia Heart Institute. The mission of University Health
Care System is to provide health care services that help the citizens
of their communities achieve and maintain optimal health. As a community,
not-for-profit health care system, University offers a comprehensive and
integrated range of services to people living throughout the Central Savannah
River Area of Georgia and South Carolina.
For generations, people have counted on University Hospital to be there
for the birth of a child, treatment of cancer, critical care and all of
life's medical emergencies. Like the volunteer board of trustees who govern
their system, these people are stakeholders in a system of health care
that meets their needs from birth to the senior years of life.
University Hospital
The cornerstone
of University Health Care System is University Hospital, a 612-bed hospital
that is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations. In 1999, 2000, and 2001, University was the Consumer Choice
Award winner for health care in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The system scored highest locally in the national survey conducted by
National Research Corporation and was ranked most preferred by area residents.
University offers services at every level - from outpatient diagnostic
testing and a full range of inpatient services, to rehabilitation and
home health care.
Call Center Needs
University Hospital's call center handles over 7,500 calls a day. This
includes calls to patients in the hospital, calls to hospital employees,
calls to physicians on University Hospital's answering service, and more.
In 1997, they decided to replace their legacy paging and messaging systems
with a system that would allow operators to have access to additional
systems and programs to improve efficiency. The new system would also
need to integrate to new and existing IT systems within the facility,
allowing for improved communications between operators, members, staff,
and physicians. The additional efficiencies gained would result in increased
customer satisfaction, and optimization of the organization's FTE investment
in telephone switchboard operators.
University Hospital contacted AMTELCO's 1Call Division for a solution
to meet their specific needs. 1Call specializes in designing, implementing,
and servicing call center and communications solutions for healthcare
facilities and organizations. The 1Call Infinity platform is a modular
solution that streamlines communications and contains costs.
 After working
with University Health System to evaluate their call center and communications
needs, 1Call designed and implemented an Infinity system that gives operators
instant access to information for more effective and efficient call handling.
University Health System's Infinity was designed with modules that allow
operators to handle incoming calls and requests. These modules include
CTI Windows™-based switchboard functionality, Automated On Call Scheduling,
Real Time Patient (ADT) and Employee Directories, Physician's Answering
Service, Radio Beeper Paging, Overhead Paging, Message Delivery, Voice
Processing for Automated Announcements, ACD, and Statistical Information.
After the installation, University Health System has relied on the 13-operator
position Infinity system, to reliably serve its customers. The Physician
Answering Service call group believes the messaging audit trail has resulted
in increased trust on the part of their customer base. The central call
center staff has learned to use system features to simplify and standardize
their emergency call response procedures. System statistics are routinely
used to drive scheduling/staffing decisions as well as to objectively
gauge areas of job performance previously based on subjective evaluation
alone.
Since the installation of the first 1Call System, University Health System
has installed an additional system to help manage the Nurse Triage Department.
For additional information on 1Call's "Great Communication"
products, visit www.1call.com, send
an e-mail to info@1call.com, or call
(800)356-9148. For more information on University Health Care System,
visit www.universityhealth.org.
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