Triaging calls that range from crisis situations to information requests, Volunteer Behavioral Health serves one million people across 31 counties and 11,000 square miles in Tennessee. To match people to services across the miles, Volunteer has built a strong, dedicated, centralized intake and scheduling call center:
We schedule all first time appointment calls — from Chattanooga to Cookeville — with our call center team, who are all trained the same way, with the same information. We use CareLogic to identify programs and staff by location for the services that new clients need, and we make 200 new appointments a day for 17 outpatient locations, scheduling medication management and other services for 50,000 clients per year.
Building On Strengths
“The work being done by the call center staff really stood out during my assessment engagement with Volunteer,” said Tina Kirkpatrick, Account Manager for Customer Success, at Qualifacts, who works with customers to help them use CareLogic to the fullest. “Volunteer has twelve people making 200 new client appointments a day, who successfully complete an intake for a new client to schedule appointments at the right locations quickly and efficiently. The call management system is tied to CareLogic, which filters programs and staff, so new clients can be scheduled in the right program, with the right care team.”
How Success Happened
Centralized call departments were rare when Volunteer started theirs: “We were literally the first in the state, ” Persinger said. “Today, with this centralized system, callers to our 17 different locations are all triaged to services the same way. When that call comes in, we fit the person to the best clinician for their needs.” Spread out as it is across locations, Volunteer uses telehealth to bring distant providers and clients together, using CareLogic to match needs to programs, specialties, and staff. “The nurse practitioner is entering the notes in Chattanooga, the client is in Murfreesboro, and the piece that makes it work is the CareLogic ECR,” Persinger said. Ease of use helps keep the connected pieces moving together. “We build a profile on the client in CareLogic, so we know which programs and services they need to schedule the appointment,” said Betty Willis, Centralized Call Team Lead. “The flow of the CareLogic forms is laid out so the staff can go from one field to the next very smoothly, and that speeds up our process.” “What happens next depends on the circumstances,” said Angela Murphy, Centralized Access Customer Service Director. “Is the person in crisis? Do they need to be transferred to the crisis center? We offer services for the homeless, for the veterans who are going to become homeless or are in dire straits, for people who need to go into rehab, for children as young as two years, and for teenagers, if they’re having issues. From the beginning of the call, we are thinking about how we are going to proceed with that call. The forms in CareLogic guide the way.”
About Volunteer Behavioral Health
Volunteer’s mission is to serve individuals, families and communities through prevention, treatment and recovery services, ensuring that help today leads to a better tomorrow. With a vision of leading the behavioral health field with innovations in prevention, treatment and recovery for individuals and families which promote the wellbeing of our communities, Volunteer provides behavioral health services as an essential part of each person’s overall well-being, while honoring the dignity, values and culture of people served.
About Qualifacts + Credible
Qualifacts + Credible, is a leading provider of electronic health records systems and related technology for behavioral health and human services organizations. With decades of experience, the company is laser-focused on helping agency partners improve clinical outcomes, enhance operations and create healthier communities.
