Telephone Triage Call Centers Direct Patients to the Needed Type of Care

A special type of healthcare call center is the telephone triage operation. Staffed by trained and licensed nurses, the telephone triage call center is available to handle calls from concerned patients around-the-clock, 24/7. They can address the concerns of patients, parents of children, and caregivers. And this all happens over the telephone.

Recommend the Appropriate Level of Care

Most callers to telephone triage operations are people with a healthcare concern. They have a need, but they’re unsure what action to take. Trained nurses can conduct a basic evaluation over the phone, using accepted and proven protocols to guide the appropriate response.

Based on the patient’s symptoms, and following time-proven protocols, nurses can direct patients to the type of care best suited to their situation. This could range from an over-the-counter remedy to making a trip to the emergency room. Other options might be urgent care or scheduling an appointment with their family doctor. The goal is to assess the situation and provide the appropriate direction. Telephone triage call centers do all this and more.

Reduce Unnecessary Expenses

Many people who face a healthcare situation or have concerns either overestimate the severity of their condition or underestimate their need for rapid attention. Left to their own resources, too many people seek the wrong type of care. Some go to the emergency room when it’s not called for, while others stay home when they should be more proactive.

Keeping patients out of the emergency room when they don’t belong there is a key money-saving service provided by telephone triage operations. By directing patients to the appropriate level of care, the result is a cost commensurate with the symptoms.

Seek Outside Support to Achieve Excellent Outcomes

The staff at telephone triage call centers are experts in healthcare, but most will benefit from more training and support in the areas of telephone communications, customer service, conflict resolution, and mitigating emotional situations. To do their job well, telephone triage call centers can benefit from call center consultants, such as Call Center Sales Pro, who can help nurses serve patients even better.

Call Center Sales Pro can also help navigate the technology that supports the nurses. This allows the call center infrastructure to become the critical resource that the staff needs.

Contact Call Center Sales Pro for a free, no-obligation consultation on how they can help you optimize your healthcare nurse triage call center.