Priority: Patient Care

Using a unified communications (UC) solution, physicians can quickly contact members of a patient care team regarding treatment options, find specialists, set up a meeting, or tag a contact for presence alerts. Using their client device, they can share x-rays, reference materials, test results, and even a photo of a patient—no more phone tag.

UC encompasses communication services and technologies like telephony, IM (chat), presence, video conferencing, call control, speech recognition and integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS, and fax. It provides a consistent user interface across multiple devices and communications media so that healthcare providers can manage all the ways they communicate using software on their desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

With UC, medical personnel can see where everyone in their healthcare organization is located at any time, how they prefer to be contacted, and when they are free—making it faster and easier to collaborate and coordinate efforts, even among departments such as nursing, housekeeping, surgery, and pharmacy.

UC for the Next Generation

UC better meet the needs of medical staff who consider text messages, e-mails, and chat as indispensable tools. From their preferred client device, they can initiate phone calls (including voice over IP, audio conferencing, and video conferencing), IMs, and emails with a tap or a voice command. Automated presence apps indicate statuses such as “in surgery,” and “on rounds,” etc., so they can tell others when they are available and know how soon to expect a reply. They can view transcribed voice mails as emails and receive real-time emergency alerts on their smartphone or tablet PC.

For physicians’ offices too, UC can enhance collaboration for more accurate diagnoses and faster patient treatment. Telemedicine and videoconferencing solutions make it possible to transmit high resolution images, sounds, live video, and patient records.

From any location, physicians can share information with colleagues and consult with specialists, reducing the need for staff and patients to travel.