As the story goes, when Methodist Hospital (now the HCA Methodist Healthcare System) first opened its doors in 1963, the five-story structure on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, was one of the few buildings for miles around, except for a few grain silos. “The site was so remote,” wrote Texas journalist Peggy O’Hare, that “occasionally wildlife and rattlesnakes ventured into the hospital.”
Flash forward a half century: Today, the former “little hospital on the prairie” has become San Antonio’s second largest private employer, with a payroll of 10,000 people—including more than 2,700 physicians in all specialties. Its mission, “Serving Humanity to Honor God,” and focus on delivering cost-effective healthcare to all have together contributed to an impressive string of accomplishments, including being the healthcare provider for one in every two people in San Antonio; the largest provider of kidney transplants in the USA; and the largest provider of healthcare to rural communities in South Texas.
With such an expansive network, it’s no wonder HCA had a Nortel system with 13,810 users. Maintaining a system like this is no easy task, and neither is transitioning to a Cisco UC solution. What’s more, this company wanted an efficient contact center that could handle call flows and call queues more efficiently than its current one. With this laundry list of challenges, HCA would be hard pressed to find the right partner.
Luckily for them, these challenges could all be overcome with help from Continuant. When HCA and Continuant first came together, Continuant supported the healthcare company’s Nortel systems and augmented its staff with an on-site technician. Since then, Continuant has lent a hand in preparing a roadmap for a transition to a new Cisco UC solution. More importantly, Continuant has helped HCA identify its pain points regarding its contact center, as the two work together on a Contact Center Managed Services agreement.
When lives are on the line, this lifesaver knows it can rely on Continuant’s healthcare expertise.