Reduce Switchboard Operator Burden and Help Families Connect with Patients in Hospital Rooms by Leveraging HL7 Technology Integration
HL7 messages communicate patient admission, discharge, or transfer status. These messages are initiated by electronic health record (EHR) systems. Parlance voice-first solutions have been helping families connect with patients in their hospital rooms by leveraging HL7 technology integration for many years.
The importance of streamlining communication skyrocketed when phones became a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic. While so many loved ones were hospitalized, and health systems were at capacity, it was impossible to visit them and hold their hand. Phone communication became even more critical, connecting people to loved ones they couldn’t be with.
The pandemic caused widespread disruption for hospital and clinic switchboards. Parlance clients reported a variety of stressors that impacted the ability of switchboard operations to answer the phone and serve the public. Increased phone traffic, call volume surges, and staffing shortages made it exceedingly difficult for agents, operators, and callers alike.
The importance of streamlining communication skyrocketed when phones became a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic. While so many loved ones were hospitalized, and health systems were at capacity, it was impossible to visit them and hold their hand. Phone communication became even more critical, connecting people to loved ones they couldn’t be with.
The pandemic caused widespread disruption for hospital and clinic switchboards. Parlance clients reported a variety of stressors that impacted the ability of switchboard operations to answer the phone and serve the public. Increased phone traffic, call volume surges, and staffing shortages made it exceedingly difficult for agents, operators, and callers alike.
Parlance solved many of these problems, providing a shortcut to quick communication by offloading the burden of routine calls from overwhelmed switchboards and improving caller navigation.
Many callers have routine requests that can be automated – to reach a specific department, to make an appointment, or to talk to a patient or provider. Parlance patient connector applications are interoperable with HL7 systems and instantly relieve the burden on operators, enabling callers to reach friends and family faster. At a time when switchboards were operating with reduced staff, Parlance eased the strain, not only connecting callers to loved ones but also offering the option to talk to a nurse or provider about their recovery. This small change offered huge comfort to families who may otherwise have struggled to get health updates about their loved ones.
When callers are trying to check in on a loved one’s condition, while calling on their way to work, or dropping their kids off at school, they don’t have time to wait on hold, and they shouldn’t have to.
When callers are trying to check in on a loved one’s condition, while calling on their way to work, or dropping their kids off at school, they don’t have time to wait on hold, and they shouldn’t have to.
When it comes to their family’s health, callers should have easy access to a provider, so they don’t have to spend their day worrying.
Post-pandemic, healthcare consumer expectations for efficient, frictionless communication experiences continue to rise. Health systems across the nation subscribe to Parlance because we deliver voice-driven technology solutions that enable callers to speak naturally and connect quickly with the person, department, or resource they need. Parlance interoperability with HL7 significantly reduces the call volume that must be handled by live operators. Whether someone wants to reach their mother’s hospital room, or chooses to be routed to her nurse’s station to receive an update on her status, the HL7 integration optimizes hospital resources so that live operator effort is saved for callers who need it.
By Scott D’Entremont
By Scott D’Entremont
