New Medical Answering Service Uses Automated Technology to Mitigate Provider Malpractice Risk
PRESS RELEASE
For information:
Sidney VanNess, Ph.D., President & CEO
Acumantra Solutions, Inc.; 888-400-2514;
e-mail: info@oncallcentral.com; www.oncallcentral.com
For Immediate Release:
New Medical Answering Service Uses Automated Technology to Mitigate Provider Malpractice Risk
On Call Central’s automatic call recording and time stamping reduces provider malpractice exposure.
Anchorage, Alaska, February 16, 2009: Acumantra Solutions, Inc., a leading developer of web-based software solutions, has discovered a way to use automated technology to reduce a medical provider’s malpractice risk. After thoroughly researching the risks associated with after-hours patient calls, the company has built automatic safeguards into their premier medical answering service, On Call Central, to specifically address malpractice concerns and HIPAA obligations.
With a traditional medical answering service, human operators act as “middlemen,” relaying patient communications to providers. However, manually tracked patient messages and callback numbers are prone to errors, and little if any permanent documentation is created relating to patient-provider interactions. In addition, live call centers often have high employee turnover rates, which can lead to inadequately trained operators. All of this results in potential communication breakdowns, which put the patient and the provider’s medical practice at risk.
Re-Engineering the Medical Answering Service
With On Call Central, Aucmantra has re-engineered the traditional medical answering service to eliminate the middleman, creating a more secure and reliable after-hours call management system. To better document a patient’s after-hours medical issue, On Call Central automatically records the patient’s initial call, as well as all subsequent incoming and outgoing calls. The provider can even record a note after speaking with a patient to document specific directives. The recordings can be securely archived for an indefinite period of time, providing a permanent record of after-hours patient communications. A provider may even choose to transcribe recordings to be placed in the patient’s medical records.
Automatic Time Stamping
Time stamps are another key element of On Call Central’s risk management features. Time stamping establishes a clear timeline of interactions, while providing evidence of a provider’s diligence in responding to medical issues. On Call Central automatically time stamps all calls and events, including:
- Incoming patient calls
- Initial notification to the on-call provider that a message is waiting
- Message reminders, if any, sent to the on-call provider
- The time that the provider retrieves a patient’s message
- The time that the provider returns a patient’s call
“With its secure recording and time stamping features, On Call Central becomes a first line of defense for medical providers faced with a potential malpractice situation,” said Acumantra President and CEO, Sidney VanNess, Ph.D. “Not only does our medical answering service eliminate the ‘your word against mine’ conflict, providing exculpatory evidence that supports a provider’s position in a claim, it also delivers the security needed to help a provider meet their obligations under HIPPA.”
Physicians, practice managers and other health professionals interested in learning more about On Call Central’s risk management features can visit www.OnCallCentral.com or call 1-888-400-2514.
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ABOUT ACUMANTRA SOLUTIONS AND ON CALL CENTRAL
Acumantra Solutions, Inc. is a privately-held software company focused on the development of software as a service applications (SaaS) for healthcare and small business markets. Thousands of people use Acumantra’s services every day to improve business process efficiency and generate a direct positive impact to their bottom line.
With the release of On Call Central, Acumantra has created a more efficient solution that replaces a medical provider’s traditional medical answering service. On Call Central is a web-based call management system that tracks, routes and archives patient calls, provider responses and post-call patient directives. It uses the latest technology to eliminate communication breakdowns and improve patient care, while protecting provicders from the risk associated with after-hours calls. For more information about On Call Central, contact Sidney VanNess, Ph.D.; 888-400-2514; info@oncallcentral.com; www.oncallcentral.com.
Acumantra Solutions Launches On Call Central, the Next Generation Medical Answering Service
PRESS RELEASE
For information:
Sidney VanNess, Ph.D., President & CEO
Acumantra Solutions, Inc.; 888-400-2514;
e-mail: info@oncallcentral.com; www.oncallcentral.com
For Immediate Release:
Acumantra Solutions Launches On Call Central, the Next Generation Medical Answering Service
Flexible voice messaging system with built-in risk management features provides physicians with an affordable, fixed-cost solution that improves after-hours patient care.
Anchorage, Alaska, February 9, 2009: Acumantra Solutions, Inc., a leading developer of web-based software solutions, today announced that it has launched On Call Central, a medical answering service that tracks, routes and archives after-hours patient calls. On Call Central replaces the traditional medical answering service, using the latest technology to provide a more secure, flexible and reliable call management solution.
Unlike live call centers, which can be unreliable, subject to human error and riddled with hidden fees, On Call Central utilizes an automated voice messaging system to prioritize, document, route and return patient calls. This eliminates the “middleman” risk and communication breakdowns associated with traditional physician answering services, while improving patient callback times and overall continuity of care.
Since no two medical practices are alike, On Call Central provides the flexibility to create a simple and dependable after-hours answering system or a more sophisticated, multi-physician call management solution with pre-defined routing logic. Key capabilities of On Call Central include built-in call management intelligence, automatic time-stamping and post-call dictation options for documenting patient directives. Support for all standard communication devices, including pagers, land lines, cellular phones and text messaging systems, eliminates the need for special equipment.
An easy-to-use Web-based interface allows authorized users to create and change call schedules, set up device preferences and communicate via broadcast message with all or part of an on-call physician group. The simple drag-and-drop interface allows administrators to set up an entire monthly call schedule in minutes.
Other innovative features of On Call Central include:
- Automatic callback ID blocking to protect the physician’s privacy when returning patient calls
- Multi-layer security safeguards designed to help physicians meet their obligations under HIPAA
- The ability to flag specific types of calls, such as medication refills or telemedicine consults, as potentially billable, which provides the option to create a new revenue stream
“On Call Central’s ability to document and permanently archive after-hours communications has the potential to significantly reduce physician risk and we anticipate this technology becoming an integral part of standard practice management software solutions,” said Acumantra President and CEO, Sidney VanNess, Ph.D. “The On Call Central platform streamlines call management, creates a verifiable communication record and can even help practices get paid for after hours phone consults.”
Physicians, practice managers and other health professionals interested in learning more about On Call Central can visit www.OnCallCentral.com or call 1-888-400-2514.
* * *
ABOUT ACUMANTRA SOLUTIONS AND ON CALL CENTRAL
Acumantra Solutions, Inc. is a privately-held software company focused on the development of software as a service applications (SaaS) for healthcare and small business markets. Thousands of people use Acumantra’s services every day to improve business process efficiency and generate a direct positive impact to their bottom line.
With the release of On Call Central, Acumantra has created a more efficient solution that replaces a physician’s traditional medical answering service. On Call Central is a web-based call management system that tracks, routes and archives patient calls, physician responses and post-call patient directives. It uses the latest technology to eliminate communication breakdowns and improve patient care, while protecting physicians from the risk associated with after-hours calls. For more information about On Call Central, contact Sidney VanNess, Ph.D.; 888-400-2514; info@oncallcentral.com; www.oncallcentral.com.
