Overview
WakeMed Health & Hospitals, a leading healthcare provider, sought a more efficient and cost-effective way to streamline communication across its Acute Rehab Services department. By replacing outdated paging systems with Proficient Health’s provider communication solution, WakeMed improved patient care coordination and achieved substantial cost savings.
The Challenge
Before implementing Proficient Health’s provider communication solution, WakeMed relied on traditional pagers and manual processes to manage urgent patient needs. This led to:
- High annual costs for maintaining pager systems.
- Delays in time-sensitive patient communications.
- Inefficient team collaboration in a fast-paced hospital setting.
- Manual tracking of consult lists for over 350 patients.
The Solution
WakeMed transitioned to Proficient Health’s provider communication solution, leveraging its secure chat and on-call scheduling features to enhance efficiency and real-time communication. Key features included:
- PH Chat: Used multiple times daily to communicate urgent patient care needs, ensuring faster response times.
- Large Group Chat Functionality: Enabled rapid communication within teams, with the largest group (Physical Therapy) reaching 72 members.
- Automated On-Call Schedules: Eliminated the need to manually search consult lists, providing instant notifications for urgent patient care.
- EMRConsult Orders & Notifications: Seamlessly integrated with EPIC, this feature automatically sends consult orders—including patient details—as real-time messages to the consulted service. This allows providers to prioritize and respond, eliminating manual follow-ups and reducing delays. At WakeMed, it has improved response times, shortened patient stays, and lowered costs.
The Results
- $140,000 in annual savings by retiring outdated pagers.
- Significant improvements in communication efficiency, ensuring that critical patient needs—such as discharge requests—are addressed promptly.
- Enhanced hospital workflow, reducing delays in care delivery and improving department-wide collaboration.
- Increased staff satisfaction by eliminating manual tracking and improving real-time responsiveness.
By adopting Proficient Health’s provider communication solution, WakeMed revolutionized its approach to provider communication, driving both financial savings and operational efficiency. The hospital continues to leverage the platform to maintain smooth department operations and support optimal patient care.
“The ability to communicate quickly and efficiently has transformed our daily operations. Proficient Health’s solution has been a game-changer for our team.”
– Dana Ryan, PT, Acute Physical Therapy Supervisor, WakeMed Health & Hospitals