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Health Connection provides advice, information by Roseanne Monti Public Relations  In an age where it can be difficult to receive quality care and advice face-to-face, MUSC Health Connection seeks to provide friendly voices, calming advice and insightful guides to the appropriate care.  The true connection keeps patients coming in, and keeps them coming back.  “We are staffed to support our mission, to ensure access and referral for new business, exceed customer expectations, cross sell medical center services and align with the medical center’s strategic initiatives of customer service,” said Hope Colyer, manager of Referral and Member Services, Business Development and Marketing Services at MUSC.   “Our staff serves as the main access point for the MUSC health care system for new patient business.”    With an average of 650 to 750 calls per day, the customer service agents at MUSC’s Referral Call Center are hard at work.   From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., extensively trained customer service agents and health resource nurses respond to a wide variety of calls, ranging from referrals to health information, health screenings and class registration, to consumer health information. MUSC Health Connection is one of the services of the Referral Call Center and its purpose is to assist consumers with accessing our health care services. Meduline is the other primary service of the call center and is the access point for health care providers needing assistance with patient referral or consultation with MUSC health care providers.     “The call center has access to information networked through multiple software applications, which cross-references more than 1,400 files of information for the agents,” Colyer said. “Providing so much information and service allows us to maintain high levels of customer services efficiently and effectively and a broad scope of services.”   “It is important our customers' needs are being met,” said Stephen Paterniti, operations coordinator of the Referral Call Center. Paterniti sits close by the agents, ensuring the calls run smoothly.   “Once the agent determines the appropriate connection for the caller, they may stay online to ensure the customer is where they need to be,” Paterniti said. “I interact often with department managers to ensure MUSC is providing good customer relations through our various telephone access points.”   If a customer has specific health care concerns, the call is forwarded to one of the highly trained registered nurses who determines if the customer needs to seek medical attention or is just seeking health information.   “We focus on three aspects, general health information, care advice for symptoms, and physician referrals,” said Sandra DeAntonio, R.N., clinical coordinator of the nurse triage at Health Connection.   “Our ultimate goal is to educate the general public. The nurses take it a step further to inform them when they should access health care services,” said DeAntonio.     Health Connection nurse services do not end on the phone. They also respond to MUSC eNurse, which are e-mails submitted through http://www.MUSChealth.com.    “We access information from our doctors and professors in regards to services provided at MUSC and answer health related questions,” DeAntonio said.    “Our job is fun and we are always stimulated,” DeAntonio said. “We learn new things every day.”     She also hinted at a new coactive system for the near future, linking the MUSChealth.com site and the call center. This technology will allow a customer using the Web site to click a button to call a nurse. A call is automatically placed linking the customer and a nurse.  At this point, the nurse can talk with the customer while also pushing relevant health information real time from the MUSC Web site to the customer.   “We are constantly assessing technology to enhance assess to various health information and resources available at MUSC,” DeAntonio said.   The new interactive media is just one of many forward steps the Referral Call Center is taking to keep up-to-date with technology.     “Health Connection has been instrumental in referring and scheduling blood donors for us,” said Annie Lovering, American Red Cross coordinator for MUSC. Lovering attributes much of the Red Cross’ success in increased blood donations at the  MUSC site to the efforts of Health Connection.  She is grateful to have the system available.     The Referral Call Center’s customer service agents and nurses, who answer hundreds of phone calls each day, is just one of the many services at MUSC which are instrumental to being successful in patient referral, patient satisfaction and patient retention at MUSC, said Colyer. “It is truly a team effort and the Referral Call Center enjoys being a part of that team.”   For health information or assistance with referral to an MUSC physician, give Health Connection a call at 792-1414 or access an MUSC      Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.