WebEx Web Conferencing Solution Declared as “Home Run” for Training and Outreach

As the world’s largest private health care facility operator, the Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) staffs nearly 200,000 employees in more than 160 hospitals that span 20 states. HCA’s IT resources overseer, Andrew Kerr, noted that such a large and dispersed workforce can post a challenge, particularly “when you try to reach out and deliver training or education to a population that big.”

After many reports of unsatisfied users two years ago, the HCA determined that it was unsatisfied with its web conferencing solution and made the decision to look elsewhere. Kerr explained that HCA was searching for a web conferencing solution that would offer “minimal disruption to our existing practices,” along with rapid scaling and easy implementation – WebEx fit that bill.

Declaring it a home run, Kerr stated that WebEx web conferencing services “has exceeded even our expectations. In its first full month of service, HCA more than doubled the usage rate of their previous web conferencing system, logging an impressive 920,000 additional minutes for a grand total of 1.3 million minutes.

In addition to employees, HCA’s patients are also extremely pleased with WebEx. HCA takes care of almost 20 million patients each year, and delivers more babies per year than the entire nation of Australia. Since its implementation, patients are able to utilize WebEx to receive expert diabetes coaching in remote locations via a virtual coaching model that leverages Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video, and parents of premature babies are able to check-in with the neonatal ward remotely.

Having a reliable web conferencing solution that offers real-time video capabilities is a powerful tool that adds a personal element, which is especially valuable in a healthcare setting. Cisco WebEx’s head of healthcare marketing, Mike Haymaker, furthered that point by adding that he would be willing to put money on the bet that “patient satisfaction ratings will go way up if you can find a way to take care of them without them having to appear in your waiting room.”

When you can’t meet in person, WebEx is an effective means to have that one-on-one or one-to-many experience. WebEx combines desktop sharing through a web browser with phone conferencing and high-definition video, so everyone is looking at the same information at the same time throughout the meeting. Also available on smartphones and tablets, WebEx allows your team to get more work done and build stronger relationships – regardless of their location.