The Challenge: Fragmented communication between in-hospital physicians and referring providers causes delays
As a regional territory with more than 1,000 providers and referring physicians, WakeMed Health & Hospitals wanted to improve communication and strengthen collaboration between in-hospital physicians and outpatient-based/referring physicians.
With two academic medical centers in the area, the competitive dynamics of patient care in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region are intense. The hospital set out to have top-tier sub-specialists and be the easiest doctors and facilities to reach. With quality being roughly equal for most care, they knew that making it easy to access their resources would win over the hearts and minds of the community and regional providers.
In many cases, referring physicians do not know which physician to contact and do not want to have to look it up or wait for an operator to do so. WakeMed wanted a solution allowing referring providers to connect better with those physicians.
The Solution: A Seamless, Secure Mobile App for Provider-to-Provider Communication
Provider-to-provider mobile app used to connect all providers securely and efficiently WakeMed implemented PH Connect, a secure mobile communication platform designed for providers. PH Connect removes call center bottlenecks and guesswork by making it easy for referring providers to reach the right person at the right time, bringing together a patient’s care team more quickly, securely, and cost-effectively.
PH Connect complements physicians’ existing workflows, requiring minimal changes on their part and allowing them to choose options that work best for them. Physicians can set their personal preferences about when they should be reached and when they should not. Call schedules and rules-based hierarchies are automatically integrated into the platform.
The Results: Faster Access, Higher Satisfaction, and Better Patient Care
WakeMed now has 3,200 providers on PH Connect, sending millions of messages each month with an average read time of 5 minutes or less.
“I find PH Connect to be an easy way for me to communicate with the emergency room about patients in my office that need further evaluation there. I like that I get confirmation that my message has been read by a staff member of the ER. It is an efficient way to connect with the specialist at the hospital without having to use the hospital operator and wait for a callback.”
WakeMed reduced their provider-to-provider calls coming into the call center by fifty percent because providers connected directly with one another. The result is reduced delays in connecting, increased provider satisfaction, and overall improved patient care.