Improving Patient Access and Experience:
Proven Strategies for Healthcare Contact Center Consolidation

Date/Time

Thursday, January 23, 2025
11:00 am – 12:00 noon EST

About the Webinar

Consumers often feel confused and frustrated by the inconsistencies they experience within a single branded healthcare delivery system. This confusion stems from the existence of separate contact centers for billing questions vs. scheduling appointments, which may be further broken down by hospital vs. provider billing and primary care vs. specialty care appointment scheduling. Each of these independent contact centers may utilize different technologies and have different performance standards, which means the consumer experience can be significantly different at each touchpoint. This webinar offers a sneak peek into how Sentara Health, an integrated, not-for-profit healthcare delivery system that unified its contact centers after developing its Clinical Access Center and making it a Center of Excellence.

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Webinar Key Takeaways

Understanding Consumer Frustrations with Fragmented Contact Centers
Learn about the common challenges faced by patients navigating a fragmented healthcare system, including the confusion and frustration stemming from separate contact centers with differing standards and technologies for billing, scheduling, and service.
The Business Case for Contact Center Consolidation
Discover how centralizing contact centers and establishing a Clinical Access Center can optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve both the patient experience and organizational performance.
Insights from Sentara’s Journey to a Unified Contact Center
Get an inside look at how Sentara, a leading not-for-profit healthcare system, successfully unified its contact centers with a centralized Clinical Access Center. Hear about the planning, implementation, and significant milestones that led to the creation of their Center of Excellence.
Operational and Technological Best Practices for Centralization
Learn best practices for establishing a consolidated contact center, from developing a Center of Excellence to standardizing CRM configurations and creating consistent workflows.
Transformative Impact on Patient Experience and Satisfaction
Explore how a unified contact center can enhance patient access, standardize service experiences, and align consumer expectations, leading to greater patient satisfaction and loyalty.
Driving Data-Informed Decisions for Staffing and Service Levels
Learn how real-time data from a centralized contact center can empower healthcare organizations to make staffing decisions based on actual demand, adjust service levels, and foster continuous performance improvement.
Continuous Improvement Through Data and Feedback
Discover the importance of actively monitoring consumer satisfaction and leveraging feedback for immediate adjustments, ensuring that the organization maintains high standards of service while adapting to the evolving needs of patient.

This session will offer valuable insights for healthcare leaders and IT professionals looking to optimize patient experience while driving operational efficiencies.

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Related Case Study

Transforming Patient Experience: Standardizing and Optimizing Contact Centers at a Large Health System

Speakers

Douglas Stuver
Executive Director, Clinical Access Center, Sentara Health

As Executive Director for Sentara Health, Douglas Stuver has been instrumental in launching the Clinical Access Center. He collaborated closely with the Governance Committee to develop a centralized hub for scheduling, registration, and referral management. Currently, this center supports 171 medical practices and coordinates imaging and diagnostic testing for 12 hospitals. With a dedicated team of 488 associates, the Clinical Access Center efficiently handles 1.3 million outbound calls, 2.1 million inbound calls, and 2.5 million emergency medical alerts annually, achieving an impressive average response time of just 25 seconds and an exceptional patient satisfaction rating of 98%.

Before his role at Sentara, Doug served as the Director of Medicaid Operations at Elevance Health for nine years. There, he utilized market insights and customer feedback to devise strategies that addressed care gaps and fostered growth. Notable achievements during his tenure include launching a digital chat channel for provider lines of business, establishing two Anthem-owned service centers in the Philippines, and creating internal help desks across various lines of business to enhance call resolution and team efficiency.

Doug holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA in Management and Operations from Old Dominion University. He is recognized as a performance-driven leader known for his innovative approach to optimizing efficiencies, processes, and performance, consistently meeting and exceeding key metrics.

Ritu M. Uberoy
Managing Partner, Damo Consulting

Ritu has over twenty-five years of experience in the software and information technology industry in the United States and India. She established Saviance Technologies in India and has been involved in the delivery of several successful software projects and products to clients in various industry segments. Ritu completed AI for Health Care: Concepts and Applications from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Applied Generative AI for Digital Transformation from MIT Professional Education. She has successfully taught Gen AI concepts in a classroom setting in Houston and in workshop settings to C-Suite leaders in Boston, Dallas, and Cleveland. She attended HIMSS in March 2024 at Orlando and the Imagination in Action AI Summit at MIT in April 2024. She is also responsible for the GenAI Center of Excellence at BigRio and the DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model and Assessment at Damo. Ritu earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Delhi Institute of Technology (now NSIT) and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Santa Clara University in California. She has participated in the Fellow’s program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Darrel Schmucker
VP – Digital Transformation, Damo Consulting

Darrel has over thirty-five years of healthcare IT leadership experience working with standalone medical groups, integrated delivery systems and rural hospitals. He has led several large transformation projects including practice management system replacements, managed care system implementation, EHR implementation, data warehouse creation, contact center consolidation and application rationalization. He is Vice President, Digital Transformation, Provider at Damo Consulting.

Darrel’s career includes nearly 30 years of IT leadership roles for Sutter Health and Common Spirit affiliates in the Sacramento region. He has focused on improving the patient and clinician experience of healthcare through implementing innovative technology solutions.

Darrel earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a double major in Accounting and Management Information Systems from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. During his career he has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Colorado and a Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) through the American College of Medical Practice Executives. He recently completed all requirements to be a HIMSS Certified Professional in Digital Health Transformation Strategy (CPDHTS).

Register for Webinar

Improving Patient Access and Experience:
Proven Strategies for Healthcare Contact Center Consolidation

Date/Time

About the Webinar

Webinar Key Takeaways

Related Case Study

Speakers

Company

Knowledge Center

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Improving Patient Access and Experience: Proven Strategies for Healthcare Contact Center Consolidation

Date/Time

About the Webinar

Webinar Key Takeaways

Related Case Study

Speakers

Company

Knowledge Center

GET IN TOUCH

Improving Patient Access and Experience:
Proven Strategies for Healthcare Contact Center Consolidation