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VIP Medical Call Center Services:
In keeping with the trend for improved managed
care, hospitals, health plans and integrated delivery systems are
installing medically oriented call centers which direct patients
to the appropriate level of care before they self-select potentially
expensive and/or unnecessary levels of care, such as urgent or emergency
care. This represents one of the fastest growing strategies to succeed
in the managed care arena. In 1993, the Government Accounting Office
found that as many as 43 % of emergency-room visits were unnecessary,
as there were appropriate options available to choose from. It has
also been found that 40% of physician-office visits were probably
unnecessary, as individuals who were "worried well" exercised
their option to report to the ER or to the Office of their primary
care physician.
Acting as a Medical Call Center, Total Connections
performs the first leg of the screening process. It acts in the
gatekeeper role for provider offices as well as providing appointment
confirmation services. Patients' calls are forwarded to Total Connections
when their local provider's office has closed. The Call Center is
advised of how to handle the call, and how to dispatch it to the
appropriate care provider. While not dispensing any medical advice,
Total Connections staff is trained to differentiate the nature of
a call and forward the appropriate information, be it to the physician
on-call, the laboratory, the emergency room or other station.
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