CURA utilizes advanced communications capabilities, including staffing by credentialed clinical and administrative experts 24 hours a day, seven days a week (as agreed to by the parties). CURA’s VCP in conjunction with its Patient Relationship Management (PRM) system efficiently identifies patient health issues or other reasons for contact and takes appropriate action, including generating a system-based message for physicians or office staff, scheduling an office visit, or resolving the inbound call directly on the phone. When reached after clinic hours, the CURA VCP provides patients with immediate clinical information, using practice-customized, evidenced-based guidelines and protocols to appropriately direct the next step in a patient’s care, including ER referral, a next day office visit, or appropriate self-care. As appropriate, CURA can also immediately offer other advanced communications services, including, but not limited to: adding integrated voice response (IVR) capabilities; automating outbound call messaging (for example, for appointment reminders); after-hours messaging; and online chat.
The Virtual Communications Platform is the core engine that provides additional capacity to physician practices. By assuming responsibility for administrative and lower level clinical tasks (under control of the practicing physician), CURA “removes” tasks from the physician’s workflow. As a result, physicians have more time to focus on new patients or more complex patients. As practical cost savings, the VCP replaces less efficient after-hours answering services. This means that on-call physicians are contacted for fewer cases per night, as the VCP handles a higher percentage of inbound calls directly.
As value-based contracts are introduced, the VCP is the key platform for communicating and engaging patients and establishing on-going communication between them and their physician and other caregivers. This solution dramatically improves access to information and care thus minimizing the need for unnecessary trips to the emergency room and urgent care facilities.