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Case Study: Healthcare

This Fortune 100 healthcare services company partners with Working Solutions to meet the changing healthcare and pharmaceutical needs of their patients.

The Challenge

In 2002, the company launched a major initiative to increase customer enrollment in their Medicaid discount drug program. Recognizing the need to expand their customer call center to effectively reach potential new clients, they considered augmenting their existing staff by hiring and training additional agents. After some deliberation, this plan was rejected for several reasons:

• Existing call center facilities were already utilized at full capacity
• Building a new facility was not a viable option
• There were significant financial and time constraints associated with identifying and recruiting potential agents with the specialized healthcare skills required

The company needed agents who were:

• Fully conversant in medical terminology
• Able to knowledgeably respond to complex medical questions
• Familiar and in compliance with strict HIPAA guidelines
• Bilingual in Spanish and English

In addition to assistance with the discount drug program, the company needed a regular supply of specialists who could also help Medicaid patients select appropriate healthcare options for their other healthcare needs.

The Solution

We are looking at ways to broaden the depth of the services we tap into through Working Solutions. They have successfully collaborated with us in every direction we’ve explored and have been a wonderful long term partner. Senior Director

Working Solutions turned to their community of more than 76,000 experienced specialists to carefully select a team of bilingual, licensed nurses to successfully execute the project. By selecting specialists with existing medical skills and HIPAA experience, the core of the preparation was reduced to only one day – a significant cost savings to the client. Working Solutions then adapted proprietary distance learning tools, taking into consideration client-specific requirements and information, to ensure training was precisely tuned to the company’s quality standards.

Within three weeks, Working Solutions presented the company with 150 fully prepared bilingual specialists – each one possessing comprehensive knowledge of the healthcare system and a clear understanding of how the Medicaid discount program would benefit potential consumers.

In November 2005, the federal government opened enrollment to its new Medicare Part D program and the medical healthcare services company focused attention on providing support to seniors across the country as they struggled to understand the intricacies of the new program. Once again, they turned to Working Solutions’ Agents OnDemand for healthcare professionals.

Among their many other services, the company currently administers a program to help patients manage chronic diseases. Through remote monitoring, educational counseling, personalized interventions and regular communication between the patients and their physicians, the company provides critical assistance that might otherwise be unavailable.

The Result

The healthcare services company currently utilizes Agents OnDemand for experienced healthcare professionals to initiate contact with newly diagnosed patients. The specialists offer preliminary counseling and triage, and escalate more urgent situations. Patients diagnosed with chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, COPD, heart failure and chronic pain are offered a lifeline to address fears and ongoing questions. Even the challenges presented by patients with multiple diseases are competently addressed by the Agents OnDemand team.

Since 2002, Working Solutions has provided the company quality healthcare specialists on short notice, prepared and available without incurring significant start-up costs. This has enabled the company to:

• Successfully manage sudden increases in call volume
• Match seniors to the right prescription drug program
• Assist Medicaid patients in finding the right care for their healthcare needs
• Deliver a chronic disease management program to patients with urgent needs
• Avoid incurring excessive financial or operational costs
• Enjoy a significant return on investment

The client is able to effectively increase customer reach and provide patients with the help and direction needed to maintain a high-quality standard of patient care at the lowest possible cost.