Taking care of people when they need it most
In emergencies, reaching healthcare services is of utmost importance, and Mountain Community Hospital often fell short.
“The original communication system we had with our internet service provider went down every time it rained or snowed. That meant we lost our phone system,” Miller told us. “We’d have to post on social media that our phones were down and ask people to reach out to us via our cell phones.”
Like any hospital, reliability was a necessity. To better serve their patients, they had to make some changes. After speaking with Nextiva, Miller felt he’d found a communications partner with a shared value — taking care of people who rely on you.
The Nextiva Professional Service team was doing the work that needed to be done, and I didn’t have to babysit — the team took care of everything.”
Patrick Miller, IT Manager and Information Security Officer at Mountains Community HospitaL
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Where Nextiva hits the mark
As a critical care facility in a small town — cost was an issue when searching for a new service provider. But, Nextiva hit the mark there as well.
“We dropped our phone bill to more than half what we were paying before,” said Miller. “Once you start talking to your CFO about price drops, they’re like, ‘Why aren’t we doing it now?’”
Even when it came down to installing several fax bridges at the last minute, Miller found cost savings he didn’t expect. Each fax line was $15 less than it was with the previous provider — even after the installation costs.
Another important initiative for the hospital was ensuring each patient room had access to a phone line. Since most patients don’t have data drops in their rooms, they needed an option that didn’t require building physical infrastructure.
The team at Nextiva worked with Miller to find a solution. They could install devices alongside the phone lines to patch them into the larger NextOS portal.
The new devices could put phone lines where they hadn’t been before, including at each workstation. The additional lines paired with the “Receive from Anywhere” function allowed nurses to move from place to place within the hospital and ensured IT could take calls from anywhere.
The freedom to move around the hospital footprint and still answer calls made all the difference in the world.
Nextiva’s Amazing Service promise
From developing a new communications plan to installing the software and devices, Miller expected a heavy lift for his staff during implementation. But Nextiva’s professional service team helped every step of the way.
“Our project manager made sure everything went smoothly,” he said of the implementation process. “ Whether we had a question about set-up or hit a snag with a new feature, she never hesitated to jump in, roll up her sleeves, and get to work right there with us.
The Nextiva team came on-site several times to oversee installation and training. That allowed the staff to train on the software and learn about new features with expert guidance. For a hospital staff without time to spare, in-person training helped prepare them before they hit the floor.
Communication to rely on
Hospitals rely on their communication systems day in and day out — across all platforms. Nextiva turned an unreliable system into a technology-forward powerhouse for Mountains Community Hospital.
Ring groups, sometimes called hunt groups, became a highlight for hospital staff, allowing phone calls to move from one group to the next and guarantee an answer. “We don’t want patients to feel like nobody’s answering the phone and it’s going straight to voicemail.”
Next came faxes. When the Nextiva project manager learned of the need for fax lines, she developed a plan to install several fax bridges, and the old numbers rolled over within a few minutes of installation.
Not only was Nextiva able to help them with reliable phone communications, but they hand-picked features and devices to amplify the existing technology already at work.
HIPPA-Compliant Features
For any healthcare provider, meeting the standards of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a critical requirement. HIPAA is a federal law that requires the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information. At Mountain Community Hospital, there’s no decision made without HIPAA in mind.
Nextiva implemented a HIPAA-compliant phone system, and provided tools to allow patients new ways to reach out to their care providers, like text messaging. It’s another feature that brings the hospital into a new age of technological advancement and ensures no patient is left behind.
The bottom line — Mountains Community Hospital needed reliable, easy-to-use technology that allowed them to be available to their patients 24/7. Working with Nextiva enabled the hospital staff to regain trust in the communication system and provide immediate care.
“Nextiva has made my job a lot easier,” Miller continues. “Because I know that as long as my network stays up, my phone lines are good.”
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