SPRINGFIELD, Va. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Spok, Inc. announced today that Kalispell Regional Healthcare (KRH) in Kalispell, Mont., has selected Spok’s operator console and on-call scheduling solutions to replace multiple systems in its hospital call center.

“My staff is excited about the simplicity of it,” said Carie Oney-Gress, admitting supervisor at KRH. “Previously we were using eight or nine disparate systems, and now we are simply using Spok.” According to Oney-Gress, accessing all needed information from an efficient, integrated system saves staff time, and working with a single vendor provides an easy “one-stop shop” for questions and problem resolution.

Kalispell Regional Healthcare encompasses not only a large hospital but also 26 affiliated clinics and facilities providing comprehensive services to the community. The communication center staff routinely handles more than 1,200 calls per day. They used to process around 400 calls per day, but as the organization grew, the center took on new and expanded responsibilities.

“As we were growing we noticed that our existing operator console couldn’t support the needs of our expanded department,” said Oney-Gress. “For example, we wanted the ability to set up customized procedures for each provider-based clinic. The old system worked for supporting just the hospital, but when we started servicing outlying clinics we wanted a system that could give us everything we needed the minute the phone rang.”

With the old system, staff pulled information from such varied sources as printed clinic phone lists and schedules, event logs and patient software. Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s communication center was looking for a comprehensive system that could grow with them.

“We wanted something that was all encompassing, had a really robust on-call schedule, and could handle the detailed procedures required by each clinic,” explained Oney-Gress. “We had heard really good things about Spok and decided to look into their solution.”

Based on recommendations, KRH staff visited other facilities that were using Spok to see the solution in action. An onsite visit in California was successful, and they decided to move forward. Although the upgrade is recent, the benefits are already apparent. Average call times have been reduced because the staff doesn’t have to operate so many systems.

“Our solutions are designed to remove the daily frictions of a busy organization with diverse requirements by providing an effective integration of all the options they need when they need them,” said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Spok Holdings, Inc. “We’re pleased to work with Kalispell to support its growing organization and patient base.”

About Kalispell Regional Healthcare
Located in the heart of Northwestern Montana, Kalispell Regional Healthcare offers a full range of healthcare services for both community residents and seasonal visitors, from preventive medicine and routine procedures to ongoing treatment and complex surgeries. For more information, visit www.kalispellregional.org.

About Spok
Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK), headquartered in Springfield, Va., is proud to be a leader in critical communications for healthcare, government, public safety, and other industries. We deliver smart, reliable solutions to help protect the health, well-being, and safety of people around the globe. Organizations worldwide rely on Spok for workflow improvement, secure texting, paging services, contact center optimization, and public safety response. When communications matter, Spok delivers. Visit us at spok.com or find us on Twitter @Spoktweets.

Spok is a trademark of Spok Holdings, Inc.

Contacts
Spok, Inc.
Jill Asby, 952-230-5363
jill.asby@spok.com

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