PerfectServe DocLink Powers Physician-To-Physician Communication For Improved Healthcare Coordination

Excela Health Implements New Extension of Industry Leading, HIPAA-compliant Communications System to Remove Barriers between Physicians, Enable Real-time Collaboration and Secure Text Messaging

While population health, accountable care and readmissions reduction initiatives are driving the need for better clinical care coordination, physicians continue to struggle to connect with each other to coordinate patient care. In fact, a 2013 HIMSS study indicated that only half of clinicians believe their colleagues receive their calls, e-mails or texts. To enable health systems to overcome recurring and costly barriers to physician-to-physician communications, PerfectServe launched PerfectServe DocLink, a private and secure communications network that provides physicians with direct access to each other at the touch of a button – saving time and improving care coordination and collaboration.

“As hospital and health systems expand their networks of care and the demand for better care coordination increases, we recognized a recurring frustration across our customer base from physicians who were struggling to reach each other around consults and other time-sensitive patient care issues,” said Terry Edwards, CEO of PerfectServe. “PerfectServe DocLink breaks down the traditional barriers that currently exist between physicians, providing the direct access between them that is crucial to determining the appropriate care path for patients as efficiently as possible.”

An extension of the industry-leading PerfectServe platform, PerfectServe DocLink improves physician-to-physician communication by enabling HIPAA-compliant texting, voice messaging and real-time intelligent call routing directly between physicians. PerfectServe DocLink enables physicians to connect with each other quickly, easily and securely – without having to search for phone numbers or navigate through switchboards, answering services or front-office.

PerfectServe DocLink Drives Physician and Patient Satisfaction at Excela Health

Several forward-looking health systems have already begun using PerfectServe DocLink to power comprehensive doctor-to-doctor communication and collaboration. Excela Health – a non-profit health system in Pennsylvania offering care across the continuum with the support of primary care, three hospitals and numerous outpatient and long-term care facilities – recognized the importance of physician-to-physician communications, and turned to PerfectServe DocLink to facilitate increased connectivity and collaboration.

“Before PerfectServe DocLink, our physicians hesitated to even attempt reaching out to one another, because it was an arduous process that involved calling an operator, requesting a page and then staying put so they didn’t miss a call back,” said Carol J. Fox, MD, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Excela Health. “Now, they’re encouraging colleagues to join them on the PerfectServe DocLink platform, and we’re experiencing an enhanced willingness to connect as a result.”

Holding true to its mission of “improving the health and well-being of every life we touch,” Excela Health is focusing on communication and collaboration as a way of improving patient care quality, both now and as care models continue to evolve as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“PerfectServe enables our specialists to speak with a patient’s doctor while they’re with that patient, enabling care decisions to be made more efficiently, but also giving patients the ability to ask questions about those recommendations while they have someone in front of them,” said Michael D. Busch, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Excela Health. “We expect more and more physicians and patients will take advantage of this as adoption and clinician collaboration increases.”

PerfectServe DocLink: Secure Physician Communication and Collaboration

Only PerfectServe DocLink enables real-time conversations and two-way messaging between physicians. Key features include:

• One tap, one number access to every medical staff member – To contact another medical staff member, all the physician needs to know is the name of the colleague they wish to reach. Simply launch the PerfectServe mobile application, or dial the toll-free DocLink number, and physicians can connect at the touch of a button.
• Real-time calls and secure messaging – Sometimes physicians want to send a text, but other times they need to have a conversation. With PerfectServe DocLink, physicians are able to choose the best communications mode for each specific clinical situation, and every option is secure.
• Individual physician control – With PerfectServe DocLink, physicians can indicate when and how they want to be reached based upon time of day and day of week based on their personal preferences and workflow needs.
• Call patients and protect caller ID privacy – When physicians return patient calls through PerfectServe, their office number appears as the caller ID—not their personal mobile number.

About PerfectServe
PerfectServe enables more accurate, reliable and secure clinical communications. Its cloud-based applications and HIPAA-compliant platform help hospitals and health systems improve operating efficiencies and the quality of care. More than 30,000 physicians in 10,000 practices and more than 60 hospitals and systems nationwide rely on PerfectServe to help clinicians across the care continuum communicate with each other more easily. PerfectServe clients include forward-thinking organizations such as Advocate Health Care, MemorialCare, WellStar, St. Joseph Health System, Hoag and Orlando Health. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., PerfectServe was founded in 2000.