Kyruus recently released the results of a study of 40 leading U.S. hospital and health systems and their ability to match patients with the right providers through their call centers.
The company evaluated call centers for their ability to find the right provider for the patient; their ability to accommodate logistical needs and preference such as insurance accepted, location, and language; call wait times; and whether agents were able to book an appointment for the patient during the call.
Kyruus found that while 76 percent of call centers did ultimately connect the patient with a live agent, it took almost three minutes on average to do so. Only 58 percent of call center agents were able to match a patient with a provider during the first interaction, and only 18 percent were able to actually book an appointment for the patient. In the cases where call center agents could identify providers, they frequently did not align well with the patient’s specific needs.
“The patient journey often begins with a phone call to a health system, but long-standing patient access barriers prevent health systems from delivering the level of service patients seek at this first step,” said Kyruus CEO Graham Gardner. “Without comprehensive, accessible, and searchable provider directories and enterprise-wide scheduling capabilities, call center agents are unable to match patients with providers in real time—despite their best intentions.”
Kyruus, a McKesson Ventures portfolio company, delivers proven provider search and scheduling solutions that help hospitals and health systems match patients with the providers best suited to care for them.
Click here for the full story and a link to the report.