The First HITRUST Certified Answering Service
844-8-NOTIFY
Enhancing Patient Care with Reliable Switchboard Support
A switchboard operator is often the first point of contact when someone calls a hospital, health center, or large clinic. These operators play a critical role in routing incoming calls, responding to emergencies, and providing information. It’s a position that requires handling large call volumes, with many hospitals reporting high turnover rates.
According to The American Institute of Stress, it’s one of the top jobs that requires the most stress tolerance, particularly for operators working in healthcare facilities.
For this reason and many more, hospitals and large health centers turn to notifyMD® for their healthcare switchboard services. These institutions use our services full-time, after hours, or during peak phone-in periods.
The result is happier staff and clinicians immediately reaching the correct department and person, satisfied callers and family members no longer placed on hold, and patients receiving enhanced care coordination. When warranted, our trained virtual operators immediately route calls to emergency services.
The bottom line: Improving the communication channels improves patient care.
Our hospital switchboard services help meet the demand while also providing meaningful cost savings.
Key Features of Our Healthcare Switchboard Services
The expertly trained, knowledgeable, and caring virtual hospital switchboard operator is at the forefront of our healthcare switchboard services. These professionals are trained in medical terminology and the best practices associated with your facility. With 30 years in the field, we understand the need for operators who understand the specific procedures unique to your hospital.
Intensive training ensures they know departments, personnel, and the answers to commonly asked questions. Understanding emergency protocols means they immediately direct calls to emergency services when appropriate. Detailed scripts translate to enhanced, accurate, and quick communication channels.
While our virtual operators represent the backbone of our successful switchboard services, the following features ensure a seamless experience for your organization and our team:
- HITRUST Certified: We’ve obtained one of the most prestigious healthcare industry certifications. This certification blends HIPAA, PCI, NIST, and other regulations into a single security framework. Because of this, your sensitive healthcare information receives the highest level of security and privacy.
- Performance Reports: At notifyMD®, we monitor the average handling time, patient satisfaction, first response times, first call resolution, and average wait times. These definitive benchmarks help us enhance the experience for all parties while ensuring operators have the support they need to manage calls optimally.
- Automated Interactive Voice Response: Hospitals and clinics also use our customized IVR services, which direct callers to the correct department or virtual operator.
Why Outsource Your Healthcare Switchboard Services?
Many hospitals receive over 1,000 calls daily. In one study, 13 hospitals reported receiving between 20,000 and 70,000 calls monthly. Hold times ranged from 35.5 to 180 seconds. While a few minutes doesn’t sound like an extreme amount of time, industry experts suggest that two minutes is the threshold, the point at which most frustrated callers hang up.
When you outsource your healthcare switchboard services, you receive the following benefits:
- Allows the hospital switchboard operator to perform numerous other duties
- Reduces employee burnout and turnover
- Enhances the patient experience
- Improves operational efficiencies
- Strengthens clinical communications
- Reduces labor costs
- Reinforces a positive reputation
- Reduces call abandonment
- Boosts revenue by increasing patient loyalty, satisfaction scores, and referrals
- Manages the flow of patient information efficiently and securely
Hospitals, clinics, and expansive health centers are under pressure. From staffing shortages to increasing costs and insurance reimbursement reductions, their resources are at capacity. According to the American Hospital Association’s Costs of Caring report, from 2021 to 2023, hospitals’ labor costs increased by $42.5 billion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Patients receive immediate attention around the clock. This support may include directing their calls to nursing stations, administrators, or emergency personnel. In the event of a disaster response, this open and prompt line of communication is critical.
When someone goes missing, hospitals are among the first places family members call. 24/7 service ensures they know if their loved one has been admitted and where they are in the facility.
Hospital switchboard services provide contact with affiliated physicians and disseminate critical information coming from other clinicians and labs to the appropriate departments. Operators also direct calls to the proper physician specialties, such as gastroenterology, behavioral health, or cardiology.
Trained operators direct potential emergency situations to the correct medical personnel, whether an on-call physician or the emergency department. Providing relevant details allows for faster assessments.