Outsiders get the call; Firms specializing in medical call centers, hospitalist programs see strong growth.(Outsourcing Trends)

Modern Healthcare, March, 2004 by Piotrowski, Julie

Byline: Julie Piotrowski

When Bristol (Conn.) Hospital wanted to improve its patient-satisfaction scores and market share while building a stronger relationship with the community, hospital administrators turned toward the growing field of clinical outsourcing to provide better-quality care, greater efficiencies and improved communication.

The not-for-profit provider, an affiliate of Hartford, Conn.-based teaching hospital St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, envisioned an efficient, 24-hour medical call center staffed by clinicians to handle its growing volume of triage and information calls, but it also realized that providing round-the-clock service using in-house resources would be costly.

Viewing an after-hours call service as...

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