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FORT CAMPBELL, KY. – Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s new call distribution system will launch at noon on Wednesday, November 5, giving callers new features to minimize their time on the phone.
Among the new features, callers will receive an option for call returns without losing their place in line. Callers key their phone number into the system and it will automatically return calls in the order they were received.
“When patients call into the phone lines they will also be provided with a wait time,” said Chief Medical Information Officer Lt. Col. Elizabeth Vinson.
The new system also offers recording of incoming and outgoing calls for quality assurance. Recordings will be expired after a designated time period.
To ensure the new system is operating correctly, the vendor will switch one number at a time from the current system to the new system. The local appointment line number will be the first to be switched, followed by the second appointment line local number. The toll free appointment line number used by callers outside of the area will be unavailable for about an hour during the switch.
“The Soldier and Patient-Centered Medical Home phone lines will be converting over to the new system next week,” Vinson explained.
During the switchover, Soldier and Patient-Centered Medical Homes will not be available by phone for about a week beginning Nov. 5. “We expect phones within the Soldier and Patient-Centered Medical Homes to be operational by Nov. 17,” said Vinson. During the transition, patients may leave a telephone consultation with appointment line personnel and/or send a note using the Army Medicine Secure Messaging System, powered by RelayHealth.
“We determined that our current is too outdated to adequately meet the customer service needs of our community. After observing our patients’ feedback in the Army Provider Level Satisfaction Surveys, our team began researching phone systems that would best meet our specific needs. Once determined, the purchasing process was initiated immediately,” said BACH Commander Col. George N. Appenzeller.
“Callers may experience a little longer time on the phone with our appointment line personnel during the implementation period, and the longer wait time may last a couple weeks until our personnel become confident users of the new system,” he said. “We ask individuals calling into the new system these next couple of weeks to be patient with our staff as they truly desire to respond to each caller with excellent customer service.”