Impact of Swine flu on Hospital/Healthcare Call Centers

We have over 200 hospitals using our call center systems. I will continue to post information on this topic as I learn more from them. http://www.1call.com

clipped from www.cnbc.com ERs could be ground zero for swine flu spread At low risk? Stay home At low risk? The advice is to stay home, rest and stay hydrated. Doctors don't want you sneezing on the guy with chest pain or the kid with the broken arm or the immune-weakened chemotherapy patient while you wait for that message in person. Conversely, call centers could give families the info they need to, in Kellerman's words, "drag Grandpa out of the bed and take him to the emergency room." Exactly how call centers may work or even how many hasn't been finalized, Schuchat cautions. In the meantime, the CDC has given states and hospitals guidelines on how to open their own — using existing phone-banks like poison-control centers plus the agency's latest information on flu risk and treatment — while exploring whether the government can create a more comprehensive system. Emory and Georgia's health department developed a prototype that Kellerman says is being refined for potential national use.