Leading Non-profit Health System + ActiumHealth
68% of Rx calls deflected
away from staff, reducing workload and repetitive tasks
95% of callers successful
at completing the automated workflow, out of callers identified with prescriptions in the EHR
No MRN or password required
for patients to complete ActiumHealth’s self-service workflow
Solution
Prescription Renewals
Deployment Type
Ambulatory (Specialty Care, Primary Care, Access Centers)
EHR Integration
Epic
Health System Overview
A leading non-profit community health system serving a population of 1.3 million patients in the Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio regions, with 10 hospitals, 45+ clinical specialties, an extensive network of expert providers, and access to advanced technologies typically only found at academic medical centers.
SUMMARY OF SUCCESS
Automating inbound prescription calls through the EHR
The health system has successfully partnered with ActiumHealth to alleviate administrative burden on busy ambulatory staff by automating over-the-phone prescription renewals. By seamlessly transitioning callers to ActiumHealth’s Interact’s Rx web flow integrated with their electronic health record (EHR), the system has deflected 68% of inbound calls away from staff and automated the renewal process for 95% of callers identified with prescriptions in the EHR.
ActiumHealth Interact’s solution does not require medical record numbers or passwords, facilitating self-service workflows even for patients who are unable to log into their portals. The health system’s adoption of call automation technology has resulted in increased efficiency, digital engagement, and staff and patient satisfaction.
THE CHALLENGE
Overcoming high call volumes and costly verifications
Similar to other health systems, this organization’s ambulatory practices receive a significant volume of calls every day about requests like prescription refills, appointment scheduling, and general inquiries. Before deploying ActiumHealth, the customer service was limited to the clinic’s open hours, and long calls could each cost the system upwards of $10 to $15, even if they ended without resolution. This strained resources, putting practices at risk of long wait times and frustrated patients.
For prescription-related calls in particular, staff needed to verbally verify patient information and confirm personal details, a time-consuming process that put medication adherence at risk and distracted staff from priority activities while they verified details.
THE SOLUTION
Automating prescription renewals over-the-phone
ActiumHealth Interact can be deployed as the first voice a caller hears when they call the system or as a discrete routing option downstream within an existing IVR. The health system recognized it could work with ActiumHealth to advance patient access by automating repetitive tasks.
Aligned with their system-wide goal of transitioning more patients to available digital and self-service tools, The health system decided to partner with ActiumHealth to automate over-the-phone prescription renewals that could ease staff burden while converting callers to available digital channels. The organization integrated ActiumHealth with their EHR (Epic) and white labeled ActiumHealth’s Rx solution with their own health system branding.
By implementing ActiumHealth downstream in their IVR, the health system maintained its existing phone experience while also giving patients the ability to renew multiple prescriptions at the same time in English or Spanish at any hour of the day.
THE RESULT
Reducing alert fatigue and workflow distractions for ambulatory staff
By implementing ActiumHealth as a layer before callers reach ambulatory staff, the system alleviated alert fatigue from ringing phones and reduced workflow distractions by nearly 300 staff hours every month. Staff can now spend more time on valuable activities, such as responding empathetically and promptly to complex patient inquiries and scheduling appointments for patients looking to receive care.
The health system and ActiumHealth’s partnership continues to advance, allowing the system and its patients to realize increasing value over time. Since the beginning of 2023, the number of self-serviced Rx renewals per practice doubled as the system ramped up deployments and ActiumHealth implemented insights from patient journey analytics to streamline automation workflows.
With ActiumHealth, callers who are locked out of their patient portals or who are not used to using digital tools can now experience a streamlined interface that allows them to engage with the EHR without an MRN or password. This continues to increase the system’s digital engagement over time while providing a differentiated patient experience.