In the healthcare industry, patient experience is paramount. Effective call centers provide warmth, understanding, and clarity, improving patient satisfaction. Many healthcare providers partner with a trusted BPO to manage their health call center services, leveraging expertise in technology, highly-trained agents, and personalized customer experience.
The advantages of a healthcare contact center partner are clear: superior patient experience, increased efficiency, improved key performance indicators (KPIs), and better ROI. With omnichannel capabilities (email, text, social, etc.), these centers ensure oversight and compliance at every touchpoint, protecting both providers and customers.
Outsource Consultants identifies the strengths, weaknesses, specializations, compliance, licensed agents, and pricing of leading U.S. and global healthcare-focused call centers.
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Healthcare Call Center FAQs
What are healthcare call centers?
Healthcare call centers are facilities that handle patient communication and support tasks, such as scheduling appointments, providing medical information, managing insurance inquiries, and offering telehealth assistance. Healthcare organizations may choose to retain these services in-house or outsource them.
What are the benefits of outsourcing healthcare call center services?
Outsourcing healthcare call center support offers cost savings, 24/7 availability, specialized expertise, scalability to handle varying call volumes, improved efficiency with advanced technologies, and allows healthcare organizations to focus on core activities like patient care.
What kinds of services do healthcare contact centers provide?
Healthcare contact centers provide services including appointment scheduling and reminders, answering medical inquiries, insurance and billing support, prescription management, patient advocacy, telehealth assistance, emergency and triage support, follow-up care, provider information, and wellness program outreach.
What kinds of compliance or certifications do healthcare call centers need?
Healthcare call centers must comply with standards like HIPAA for patient data security, PCI for payment processing, TCPA for communication regulations, and HITRUST for health information protection. Certifications like CHCCP validate expertise in healthcare call center management and operations.
What kinds of licenses or training do healthcare call center agents need?
Healthcare call center agents may need licenses or training such as an RN or LPN license for nursing roles, a Pharmacy Technician license for medication-related tasks, and Medicaid/Medicare certification to handle inquiries related to government healthcare programs.
What software platforms or technologies do healthcare contact centers use?
In addition to standard CCaaS platforms like Five9 and NICE, healthcare contact centers frequently use specialized platforms including electronic health record (EHR) systems like Epic, NextGen, or eClinicalWorks, document management systems, and health insurance platforms.
What are FQHC call centers?
FQHC call centers are facilities that support Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) by managing patient communications, scheduling, and providing assistance with healthcare services, ensuring access to care for underserved populations.
Benefits of Outsourcing Healthcare Call Center Solutions
Cost Savings: Outsourcing reduces the need for significant investments in infrastructure, technology, and staffing. By contracting with a specialized call center, healthcare organizations can lower their operational costs and avoid expenses related to hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house team. Additionally, working with a BPO in a lower-cost geo can lower the hourly agent rate considerably.
24/7 Availability: Outsourced call centers provide round-the-clock support, ensuring that patients have access to assistance at any time, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. This helps in managing urgent calls and provides continuous service regardless of time zones.
Expertise: Outsourced call centers typically have experience and specialized knowledge in handling healthcare-related inquiries. They are familiar with industry-specific regulations, medical terminology, and patient interaction protocols, which enhances the quality of service provided.
Scalability: Outsourcing allows healthcare organizations to quickly adapt to changes in call volume, such as peak seasons or unexpected surges. Providers can scale their support up or down based on current needs without the hassle of adjusting in-house staffing levels.
Improved Efficiency: Outsourced call centers often employ advanced technologies and processes to enhance efficiency. This can lead to faster response times, better call management, and streamlined operations, resulting in a more effective and responsive support system.
Focus on Core Activities: By outsourcing call center functions, healthcare organizations can focus their resources and efforts on primary activities like patient care, clinical services, and strategic initiatives. This allows for improved overall performance and patient outcomes while administrative tasks are handled by specialized providers.
Healthcare Call Center Services and Contact Types
Our healthcare BPO partners have experience in all relevant contact types, including:
- Appointment Scheduling and Management: Booking, rescheduling, reminders.
- Medical Inquiries: General health, medication, lab results.
- Insurance and Billing: Insurance verification, questions, claims processing, medical coding.
- Prescription Services: Refills, prior authorizations.
- Patient Support and Advocacy: Patient interaction, complaints, navigating healthcare systems.
- Telehealth Support: Virtual visit assistance, technical support.
- Emergency and Triage Calls: Medical triage, emergency referrals.
- Follow-Up Care: Post-discharge, chronic disease management.
- Provider and Network Information: Finding providers, directories.
- Outreach and Wellness Programs: Health education, vaccination campaigns.
Healthcare Call Center Compliance and Certifications
Our healthcare call center partners adhere to all relevant compliances and hold the certifications your organization needs. Here are just a few examples:
- CHCCP (Certified Healthcare Call Center Professional)
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
- HITRUST (Health Information Trust Alliance)
- PCI (Payment Card Industry)
- TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)
Healthcare Call Center Agent Licenses and Training
Our healthcare call center partners employ agents who hold the licenses and have completed the training required to provide exceptional service for any contact type. These include:
- Registered Nurse (RN) License
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) License
- Pharmacy Technician License
- Medicaid/Medicare Certification
Healthcare Contact Center Technology
Healthcare contact centers typically use technology platforms created specifically for the industry. This includes electronic health record (EHR) systems, document management systems, and health insurance platforms.
Our healthcare BPO partners have experience with a number of these systems, including:
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems: Epic, NextGen, eClinicalWorks, Valant
- Document Management Systems: OnBase
- Health Insurance Platforms: QuickCap, PointCare
FQHC Call Centers
FQHC call centers are specialized facilities that support Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) by handling various patient communication tasks. They manage appointment scheduling, answer inquiries about services, provide support for medical and administrative issues, and assist with eligibility and enrollment. These call centers play a crucial role in ensuring that underserved populations have access to care by streamlining access to FQHC services and improving overall patient support and coordination.
We partner with call centers located across the United States and around the world that meet the necessary compliance and agreement standards to support FQHCs, and have extensive experience working with FQHCs and other healthcare organizations.
