The Chicago Lighthouse Dedicates New Space to Improve Patient Scheduling
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
A ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the new state-of-the-art, fully accessible space took place at The Chicago Lighthouse on May 8. The Chicago Lighthouse, in partnership with the UI Health Customer Care Center since 2014, is a world-renowned organization serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veteran communities. The recently dedicated space consolidates operations, improves efficiencies, and enables the Lighthouse staff to boost overall customer service for scheduling and coordinating UI Health patient appointments.
"We are thrilled about the new space and the benefits it provides to The Chicago Lighthouse staff," said Mike Zenn, CEO of the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics. "Our partnership with The Chicago Lighthouse is a vital component of the operations of the Hospital & Clinics, and it reflects the mission of our academic health enterprise - to seek collaborative opportunities with community organizations to offer exceptional care and customer service for our patients and their families."
The approximately 143 employees of the Lighthouse include individuals who are blind or visually impaired, have other disabilities, or are veterans - all groups who cope with far greater rates of unemployment than the general population. The Chicago Lighthouse is a vendor through the state of Illinois Business Enterprise Program, and approximately 30% of Lighthouse's assigned staff at UI Health are disabled or veterans; nearly 90% are minorities; and more than 80% are female.
Since 2014, Lighthouse staff have handled more than 4 million calls for UI Health. In FY18, Lighthouse processed 800,000 inbound calls - comprising 7.4 million call and registration minutes - which was 73% of our total 1.1 million call center calls. Call and related minute volume is projected to increase 11% in FY19 (over FY18) and 16% in FY20 (over FY19).
UI Health's partnership with the Lighthouse has typical call center key performance indicators built into it, and staff achievements include:
- 85% service level (calls answered within 20 seconds)
- 3.4% abandonment rate
"Collaborating with the Lighthouse is one of the best examples of how we at UI Health actively address our social responsibilities in real and meaningful ways," said Zenn.
