On March 21, Cape Coral Hospital and the Lee Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation will be added to the list of locations that have launched a new telephone system that will enhance patient care.
Lee Memorial Health System Chief Information Officer Mike Smith said the new system by Cisco operates off of new Internet technology, which provides a lot of flexibility for future capabilities.
“It is a computerized system that you can add functions to,” he said.
Nurses and other caregivers will no longer have to answer the phone because the new system will have an automated patient directory available for those who are trying to contact patients.
In addition, the system features a daily report that identifies what departments are receiving the highest volumes of calls at specific times of the day, so adjustments can be made to staff to decrease the wait times to improve customer service.
Smith said telephone systems are critical for patient care.
“Our goal is to do what we can with automation to allow caregivers more time with patients, which is a challenge of all the regulatory requirements that exist today,” Smith said.
He said by putting in the new phone system, they can standardize all of the phone numbers for the Lee Memorial Health System. Caregivers can call within the facilities by dialing five numbers.
The feature will come in handy, he said if a patient calls the wrong facility.
The highly reliable system will replace the current system, which is approximately 20 years old.
“We got good value out of the system,” Smith said, adding that they try to make the investments very conservative so they can focus their attention on providing the best patient care.
Smith said they went from needing to replace the system to finding the best available system to install.
“It is a very cost-competitive system,” he said.
The new Cisco telephone system has already been implemented at Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center and Medical Plaza One, Lee Memorial Hospital and the Medical Office Center, the Information Systems office on College Parkway and the Sanctuary Outpatient Center.
The new phone number for Cape Coral Hospital is (239) 424-2000. Other Cape Coral Hospital numbers can be found by visiting www.leememorial.org/phones/cch_new_numbers.asp
Smith said all of the old main numbers will continue to operate for some time before they phase out. If individuals call the old number they will be automatically forwarded to the new one.
So far, he said he has received really good feedback about the system.
“The system is well-received,” Smith said.