How a digitally connected set up helped Asian Hospital improve its RoI by 7-10%

The recent data with the Central Bureau for Health Intelligence (CBHI) reveals that every government hospital in India serves an estimated 61,000 people, with one bed for every 1,833 people. The ratio is even worst in states like Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, etc. In fact, India spends a mere 3.7% of its GDP on healthcare, less than some of the poorest countries of the world. And this spending is primarily allocated to metros and the other major cities, while the villages and the other remote areas remain alien to it.

Considering the scenario, the need is to get the IT infrastructure in villages and the hospitals set up that are digitally connected. There is a need for proper synchronization so that proper resolve can be provided to the burgeoning need of optimal healthcare and this can only happen only when cloud telephony comes in the picture. Working on the similar approach, Gurgaon-based Asian Hospital was also on hunt of an IVR solution to enhance patient care and provide them with timely information that is vital for their health.

After switching to Knowlarity’s services, the RoI has improved by 7-10% and the turnaround time has been reduced to half -  Shuvankar Pramanick, GM, Asian Hospital

The Solution

After a series of assessment and evaluation, the hospital selected Knowlarity to initiate the process. Multiple IVR solutions as per the requirement were set and each IVR option was set on the basis of different sugar levels of different patients. Every patient has a unique ID number. As the patient calls at the virtual number and inputs his/her sugar levels the IVR provides right information of the dosage for the particular patient, which is calculated at the backend on the basis of his/her data. And in cases, where sugar value seemed to be critical, the patient is suggested to take advice from their doctor. This ensures easy and timely check on the patient’s sugar level, hence saving from the last minute happenings.

The solution also offers a missed call service and whenever a missed call is placed, an IVR script is initiated with a set of extension numbers in multiple languages. A total of 24 virtual numbers for missed call services were placed in the Asian Hospital. This gives callers the option to choose the right language and connect to the right department. The solution also provides round the clock service and a ‘Thank You’ SMS is sent to every customer after the call gets disconnected.

Amit Goel, Head, Product Development, Knowlarity says, "Another significant feature is the instant calling service where the calling widget is located on the agent’s dashboard to initiate an outbound call between the customer and agent. All this helps the center to gather real-time feedback from customers. It is seamlessly integrated with Salesforce CRM software to save lags and extract call details."

The Challenges

Considering the vast population of India, there is a huge rural and urban disequilibrium. According to a report, India has just one doctor for every 1,700 patients. In such a case, there is a dire need for a digitally connected hospital so that the patients in the remotest of the areas can easily get the assistance needed. In order to give better experience to its patients, Asian Hospital wanted a digitally connected set up. Moreover, organizations are always nervous about losing control of their data, in much the same way that many were concerned about moving from organization-based to hosted solutions a decade ago.

The Benefits

With the virtual availability for 24/7, all calls from the patients are answered promptly, which thus provides better patient experience and saves lives by enabling faster responses. Another significant benefit is the accessibility and the ease of use as the interface makes building, deploying, and managing simple outbound communication very easy.

“The implementation resulted in gathering real-time feedback from patients for further improvement and keeps track of customer’s call history through call logs,” adds Shuvankar Pramanick, GM, Asian Hospital, Gurgaon.

He further adds, “We are trying to attain the minimization of turnaround time for any miss happening in the hospital premises. This is the key indicator for NABH accreditation. That is when we switched to Knowlarity’s ERCC. We have been able to take control of all code blue cases ever since.” With this solution, customers are also informed about promotions, reward points, and free health check-up camps. Pramanick adds, “After switching to Knowlarity’s services, the RoI has improved by 7-10% and the turnaround time has been reduced to half.”