Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Monday, 14 December 2009
Friday, 11 December 2009
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Friday, 4 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Friday, 13 November 2009
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
During assessment, the nurse can glean key information not only from the caller's words, but also from listening to the patient's breathing and speech, Rutenberg says. Callers can also provide objective measurements such as temperature, blood pressure, and weight as well as describe lacerations and amount of bleeding. Rutenberg writes, "A good rule of thumb is that anything nurses can do with their eyes, hands, or nose, callers can do…with adequate direction from the nurse."
During each call, the telephone triage nurse must identify a problem as emergent, urgent, or routine, develop a plan of care that the patient is likely to follow, and implement that plan. This continuity of care is an essential part of the telephone triage nurse's role.
Finally, to evaluate the interaction, the nurse must have a plan to determine if the patient got better. If not, the nurse must reassess him or her, revise the plan of care, implement the new plan, and reevaluate. Rutenberg says doing a thorough assessment, anticipating the worst possible scenario, and erring on the side of caution are key to successful telephone triage.
("Telephone Triage: Timely Tips"; Carol Rutenberg, RNC-BC, MNSc; AAACN ViewPoint; September/October 2009; www.aaacn.org)
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
This is a very good article on both Unified Communications and Collaboration in a call center. 1Call has a hospital customer that has all of their operators working from home. Since they can't communicate verbally or with hand signals they rely on instant messaging to communicate with each other. 1Call is continuing to build communications tools to accommodate our hospital customers that are moving toward off premise or home based call center and switchboard operators.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Pipe g.711 g.7291.5 Mbps 24 calls 110 calls10 Mbps 156 calls 714 calls100 Mbps 1560 calls 7140 calls
- You are well on the way to creating a multisite phone system.
- You are in a position to convert your operator audio from the hardwired traditional method to a TCP/IP-based system.
- You can bring in individual DID lines, or blocks of local DID numbers, from other cities and countries, creating a virtual global presence for your business.
- You can backhaul an entire PRI circuit from a distant city to a switch in your home city.
- You are situated to provide toll-free connections to the call center infrastructure for remote and work-at-home agents.
- You are positioned to have the call center provide value-added call processing on inbound calls, depending on the additional capabilities of your VoIP gateway, such as one-number call forwarding.
- You have the ability to create virtual tie-lines to network your site and share traffic with other call centers for higher volume clients.
- You can establish a network-level fail-over system to redirect calls to an alternate location. Combined with one-number call forwarding and real-time switch backup, this will provide a level of redundancy and disaster preparedness that previously was beyond reach.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Amtelco's 1Call Division offers a number of different communications tool for hospitals to use in emergency situations. The RED ALERT emergency notification system helps you react quickly in all types of urgent situations. For more information visit RED ALERT Emergency Notification System for Healthcare Organizations
Shared via AddThis
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Monday, 5 October 2009
Friday, 2 October 2009
Monday, 28 September 2009
Healthcare organizations and hospitals have specific needs, integrations, and applications that don’t exist in other environments. So before selecting a call center or PBX operator console, a vendor should see what healthcare applications they have available.
Some important factors to consider include:
• HL7 information directories
• On-call scheduling directories
• Paging integrations
• Appointment taking call scripts
• Knowledge of HIPAA , The Joint Commission, and EHRs
The last thing a hospital call center customer should have to do is teach the vendor about the hospital or healthcare industry.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Amidst the attention on Twitter and how Pharma brands may be using it, what the FDA is doing with their blog and the rise of internet users finding health information on the web there is one group that has been quietly innovating with using social media without receiving much attention or credit for it.
Today in the US, there are 367 hospitals that are actively using social media. Collectively they are responsible for 186 YouTube Channels which include over 5,000 videos. They have created 267 Twitter accounts and published more than 10,000 tweets. (Stats from Ed Bennett’s great Hospital Social Networking List) In the process, hospitals are creating several interesting case studies of the power of social media:
A patient who had surgery for a rare carcinoid cancer at the Nebraska Medical Center and shared her cancer experience via YouTube generated so many requests for the surgery that it prompted NMC to open a monthly clinic for the condition.
 |
Shared via AddThis
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Friday, 4 September 2009
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Posted using ShareThis
clipped from mobihealthnews.comYesterday, Sprint announced a multi-year agreement with M2M company DataSmart to help embedded device makers to bring their products to market sooner. As part of the announcement the carrier quoted Yankee Group’s Vice President of Research Steve Hilton: ”The demand for sophisticated M2M applications that provide data transmission is growing. Specifically, the rapid growth in M2M healthcare, energy and fleet services is fueling the need for faster and easier deployment models.”
A recent report from Harbor Research predicted that M2M device shipments might top 430 million units by 2013, thanks to demand from wireless personal area networks and wireless sensor networks technologies. You can bet wireless healthcare will be one of the key use cases driving that trend.
 |
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Our company has maintained business and developer relationships with many of the large Telecommunications companies. The call center portion and enhanced communications tools such as automated on-call schedules, appointment scheduling and reminders, computer telephony integration for hospital telephone operators and call center agents are important niche applications only supplied by a few vendors. These applications allow telephone operators to have access to all of the information needed to handle calls effectively and efficiently. One of the challenges for a healthcare organization is reducing the amount of times calls are transferred from department to department without the patient member getting the information they need.
http://www.1call.com
Posted using ShareThis
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Hospital call centers or PBX switchboards are “virtual lobbies” for healthcare facilities and organizations. As the saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” There is a right and wrong way to handle incoming calls from prospective patient customers. The five best call handling tips to make a great first impression include:
1.) Have incoming calls answered by a real person in a timely manner.
2.) Give the person handling the call immediate access to information needed to deal with the caller’s needs. All information should be in front of the operator on a single PC screen.
3.) Keep transfers to a minimum (one transfer should be the maximum)
4.) Make sure that the call handler is trained, kind, knowledgeable, patient and helpful
5.) Provide follow-up information and actions. Doctor and nurse call backs and automated appointment reminders help keep your patient customers informed.
These actions may seem simple but difficult to achieve based on outdated call center technology and long standing archaic processes that include the use of paper binders, multiple database access and “stick on” notes.
The hospital call center blog http://www.hospitalcallcenter.blogspot.com is managed by 1Call, a Division of AMTELCO. For more information on improving your virtual lobby contact 1call at 800-356-9148, www.1call.com or info@1call.com.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
clipped from blogs.usatoday.comDoctors: A Tweet a day keeps the patients informed
Modern medicine is taking to Twitter. In a report in Telemedicine and e-Health, medical writer Mark Terry notes that doctors, hospitals and health agencies have started to deliver medicine via Tweet.
Centers for Disease Control
hospitals such as the University of Maryland Medical System, and individual doctors have all taken to contacting patients through Twitter.
The journal report notes ten medical uses for Twitter recommended by clinical nurse Phil Baumann:
1. Disaster alerting and response
2. Diabetes management (blood glucose tracking)
3. Drug safety alerts from the Food and Drug Administration
4. Biomedical device data capture and reporting
5. Shift-bidding for nurses and other healthcare professionals
6. Diagnostic brainstorming
7. Rare diseases tracking and resource connection
8. Providing smoking cessation assistance
9. Broadcasting infant care tips to new parents
10. Post-discharge patient consultations and follow-up care
 |
You can find the entire story at Doctors: A Tweet a day keeps the patients informed
Sunday, 23 August 2009
 clipped from www.cnbc.com
|
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Posted using ShareThis
This is an interesting article written by Anas Younes M.D, Professor, Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Hospital telephone operators like Rodney Dangerfield "Get NO respect." Many times you will find them armed with outdated technology, post-it notes, binders and office space in the basement near something noisy. Does that make sense to a group of folks that many times are your first contact with someone may that needs your services? Honestly, how friendly can they really be in that environment? However, you DO have options.
We recently worked with a hospital in Wisconsin that turned the operators frown's upside-down. They flew the coup, literally and started working from the cozy confines of home with the latest technology and comforts known to mankind. Operators log-on from home without concerns about a commute, weather or sick children. They are equipped field all calls with the latest telephony technology and hospital specific software applications. Operators can answer and transfer calls, access directories and on-call schedules, page, give directions, use the chat feature to share information with other operators and much more!
It's a win-win-win situation! A win for the healthcare organization because they have happy folks answering the phone, become more efficient and free up office space, a win for the customer because they are talking to someone that is happy and has the tools to help them immediately, and a win for the operators that can do their jobs without technology challenges or external issues.
Monday, 17 August 2009
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Friday, 14 August 2009
Red alert is an emergency notification system used by hospitals, healthcare organizations, government, schools and general businesses. You can learn more at RED ALERT.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Shared via AddThis
1Call has a number of useful tools to help automate workflow. Check out Synergy HL7
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
NEWS RELEASE
Media Inquiries:
Matt Everly, 1Call
608-838-4194
maeverly@amtelco.com
Lynn Newman, Avaya
908-953-8692
AMTELCO Solution Now Rated “Avaya Compliant”
- Mass Notification application is compatible with key Avaya telephony solutions
- Provides all medium to large Business and Government markets large-scale, instant communication notifications in time-sensitive critical situations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday August 11, 2009
McFarland, WI — AMTELCO, a leading provider of customized call center innovations and software applications, today announced that its RED ALERT Emergency Notification System is compliant with key telephony solutions from Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services.
The RED ALERT Emergency Notification System helps businesses efficiently notify and communicate with any number of recipients in a matter of minutes. RED ALERT is widely used in healthcare organizations, higher educations institutions, the military, government, the hospitality industry, and large commercial business where global synergy is a must. The application now is compliance-tested by Avaya for compatibility with: Aura Communication Manager 5.2.
AMTELCO’s President Tom Curtin had this to say about RED ALERT’s Avaya Compliancy, “We are very pleased to have AMTELCO’s RED ALERT Emergency Notification System be certified as Avaya compliant. Gaining Avaya compliance for AMTELCO’s RED ALERT System will be especially beneficial to our diverse and mutual customer base. Innovations originating from standards-based platforms assist our customers in incorporating new technology easily and cost effectively. We are looking forward to continuing our long-standing, great relationship with Avaya.”
One of the companies benefiting from the interoperability of AMTELCO and Avaya solutions is Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) in Annapolis, Maryland.
“Quality and patient safety is paramount at AAMC, and this just seemed like a perfect solution for us. We particularly appreciate the updates that increase the efficiency and capabilities of the system,” stated AAMC Telecommunications Manager Kevin Burns.
AMTELCO is a member of the Avaya DevConnect program—an initiative to 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 Gold member of the program, AMTELCO is eligible to submit products for compatibility testing by the Avaya Solution Interoperability and Test Lab in Lincroft, N.J. There a team of Avaya engineers develops a comprehensive test plan for each application to verify whether it is Avaya compliant. Doing so ensures businesses can confidently add best-in-class capabilities to their network without having to replace their existing infrastructure—speeding deployment of new applications and reducing both network complexity and implementation costs.
“By offering compliance testing to the many innovative companies like AMTELCO who are members of our DevConnect program, Avaya promotes fully interoperable solutions that help businesses unleash powerful new possibilities,” said Eric Rossman, vice president, developer relations and technical alliances, Avaya. “They are able to use Unified Communications to connect employees and customers to information from wherever they are, over whatever device they have available – getting more out of their multivendor network and delivering new value to their bottom line.”
Other AMTELCO products that have received the DevConnect Compliant Award include the Infinity call center application, the eCreator browser-based scripting application, and the Infinity IS Soft Agent application. AMTELCO is committed to continually improving the integrations between the AMTELCO and Avaya products, helping improve AMTELCO/Avaya customers’ communications.
About Avaya
Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com. For more information on the Avaya DevConnect program, visit www.avaya.com/devconnect.
About AMTELCO
AMTELCO is a leading provider of sophisticated call center and communication application solutions. With a strong background in the telephone answering service industry, AMTELCO's primary focus is to design systems that offer cutting-edge technology, which reduces labor costs and increases profitability. Today, AMTELCO's specialized Call Center Innovations are recognized throughout the industry for improving customer service with straight-forward procedures and trouble-free system maintenance. For more information on the RED ALERT Emergency Notification System please visit www.redalertsystem.com. For more information on AMTELCO please visit www.amtelco.com. For more information on AMTELCO’s 1Call Healthcare Division please visit www.1call.com.
| Share this post : |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
