Summa Health System
One of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in the state of Ohio, Summa Health System was formed in 1989 with the merger of Akron City and St. Thomas Hospitals, and now encompasses a network of hospitals and other health centers.
The campus of Summa Akron City Hospital also includes a call center that receives incoming customer service calls for all providers in the system. The call center’s operations are split into two main functional groups: one that handles incoming calls for appointment scheduling and connecting patients with doctors, and a group of nurses that takes patient calls, evaluates their health needs, and enacts appropriate action. The physical space includes an open area of about 150 workstations for workers in both groups, separated by a hallway, surrounded by a ring of 25 private offices for other hospital administration staff.
Bill Maikranz, the System Director of Telecommunications and Call Centers, manages or supports the call center and its 100+ employees. Many employees informed him that noise distractions from phone conversations were distracting them while on their own calls. Additionally, the on-call nurses mentioned that being able to overhear these patient calls constituted a potential violation of patient privacy.
Solution
Maikranz agreed with the need to increase focus and maintain privacy, and began looking for a solution. He remembered hearing about sound masking technologies from time to time throughout his career and asked his telecom integrator, Paul Raies from DAB Communication, if he carried any products that might help.
Raies had already installed Biamp’s QtPro™ sound masking system in another section of the hospital and was able to demo the product for Maikranz and other purchasing decision makers. Impressed by QtPro and its capabilities, Summa had DAB Communications install the product in the call center.
DAB Communications installed small, barely visible Qt Pro emitters in the drop ceiling throughout the call center environment. The emitters were connected by cables to a Qt® 600 control module residing in the server room. Emitters and a module were also installed at the hospital switchboard area in the main hospital.
The emitters in the call center break room also play background music, in addition to providing sound masking. Automatic ramping was programmed into the system, allowing for the masking noise to be slightly louder at times when the call center is at its busiest.
Conclusion
Thanks to QtPro, Summa Health was able to facilitate greater speech privacy with their customer service calls, helping ensure phone conversations remain confidential. The sound masking also ensures that conversations are less distracting to fellow co-workers, allowing them to focus on delivering excellent patient care and customer service. Staff was notified beforehand that the system was being implemented and many noted how pleased they were with the results. Due to the success of the call center implementation, Summa Health is considering adding sound masking to other parts of the hospital, including nursing stations and patient rooms.