Ensured seamless and automatic transition of on-call communication between clinicians
Streamlined operations and reduced time needed to manage on-call schedules
Centralized communications and scheduling across multiple clinics
“The overall feeling of confidence when we transitioned to Hypercare has been a game-changer for us… This has saved us so much time and has helped us streamline how the doctors do business.”
Eleanor Arreola
Operations Manager, East Bay Pediatrics
Since 1984, East Bay Pediatrics (EBP) has strived to provide the best and safest pediatric care in the East Bay area in California. EBP is home to nine certified pediatricians who provide daytime services across two outpatient clinics, with after-hours urgent and non-urgent support.
EBP’s previous on-call communication system was old-fashioned. A single phone number would ring all nine physicians, and doctors were responsible for manually tracking their on-call schedules and switching pagers off accordingly. Once paged, physicians would call their voicemail number to listen to patient messages, jot down call-back information and manually dial the patients back.
EBP’s landline provider discontinued its service, which forced them to seek modern alternatives, such as Voice over IP (VoIP). To replicate their previous workflow as closely as possible, the team constructed a complex system of creating a single user account on the VoIP app, sharing this account among nine doctors, and requiring the doctors to log in and out of the app during their on-call shift. What appeared to be a straightforward workflow in theory later proved to be operationally complicated and challenging.
EBP realized the need for an alternative communication solution the hard way. After receiving an unusually low number of calls on a typically high-volume holiday, the team discovered that calls were failing because two physicians were logged in to the VoIP app simultaneously. With a high risk of missing pages from patients and no record of these failed calls, this issue had the potential to cause significant problems for the pediatrics clinic. This led to their Operations Manager, Eleanor Arreola, to worry constantly about communication, struggling daily to ensure the doctors were logging in and out of the app as instructed. Despite researching many solutions on the market, all were either unsuitable for the clinic’s workflow or too complicated—until Hypercare.
The Hypercare team took a comprehensive approach to understanding the clinic's needs, identified the appropriate services, and thoroughly prepared for implementation. EBP highlights the transparency and responsiveness of the Hypercare team as critical in expediting the process.
The Hypercare onboarding process was described as quick and seamless, taking approximately two weeks. EBP expressed gratitude for the extensive support received from Hypercare during the onboarding process. The following factors were identified as key contributors to the quick transition and minimal delays in deployment:
Within one month of EBP’s launch, Hypercare successfully introduced the voicemail feature for virtual pagers, which was recognized as a critical feature for EBP and similarly sized clinics. This feature allowed voicemails to be left on a virtual pager, which can be used as another mechanism to enhance communication and allow the sender to provide additional context on the reason of the page. At EBP, voicemails left by patients allowed the on-call doctors to triage and respond to requests based on urgency.
“The system currently in place allows the on-call physician to receive a page, check the voicemail and determine if the return call can wait or if they need to interrupt their rounds, all in one place. This workflow is efficient, they can finish their rounds, and get back to the office where they can begin seeing patients.”
EBP’s feedback on Hypercare's automated pager solution was extremely positive. The platform immediately addressed the clinic's previous issues, eliminating the problem of missed calls and the inconvenience of sharing one account.
Since adopting Hypercare, EBP has seen massive improvements in workflow across their two clinics.
“The overall feeling of confidence when we transitioned to Hypercare has been a game changer for us… This has saved us so much time and has helped us streamline how the doctors do business.”
Scheduling
Schedules are now centralized in the Hypercare app and the team finds the interface for creating and managing shifts extremely user-friendly.
Pager Replacement
Hypercare forwards patient calls and voicemails to the relevant physician according to the call schedule, making EBP’s Hypercare virtual paging system reliable and hassle-free.
Since implementing Hypercare, East Bay Pediatrics has reported significant improvements in staff productivity and reduced stress levels. The platform has enabled staff to carry out their necessary duties more efficiently, resulting in a more streamlined patient care experience.
According to Eleanor, this successful deployment would not have been possible without Hypercare's exceptional customer support and transparent communication, which fostered a strong connection with the clinical team.
“What I think was really important when we onboarded with Hypercare... The time that the team took to listen to what our concerns were, what we didn’t want, what we wanted, and then how realistic it was that we were going to get to where we needed to be.”
Hypercare's caring and personable support staff provided invaluable assistance during the implementation process, ensuring a smooth transition and successful adoption of the platform.
