title: Creating a vision for your medical call center.
abstract: MCC technologies and applications that can have a positive impact on managed care delivery are almost limitless. As you determine your vision, be sure to have in mind the following questions: (1) Do you simply want an efficient front end for receiving calls? (2) Do you want to offer triage services? (3) Is your organization ready for a fully functional "electronic physician's office?" Understand your organization's strategy. Where are you going, not only today but five years from now? That information is essential to determine your vision. Once established, your vision will help determine what you need and whether you should build or outsource. Vendors will assist in cost/benefit analysis of their equipment, but do not lose sight of internal factors such as "prior inclination" costs in the case of a nurse triage program. The technology is available to take your vision to its outer reaches. With the projected increase in utilization of call center services, don't let your organization be left behind!
authors: Samaritan Health System, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Barr
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Laufenberg
authors: B L
authors: BL
authors: Sieckman
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007253:Information Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008491:Medical Informatics Applications; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D017216:Telemedicine; D013689:Telephone / Q000639:trends; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States