Medical Information Call Center Internalization
Overview
A mid-sized biotechnology firm wanted to internalize its Medical Information Call Center operations to reduce operating costs, improve quality and establish a greater control over its data. eta one was brought in to develop a Transition Strategy and to oversee the internalization effort.
Target
This 12-month engagement included the following critical components:
Overall Program Management
Tool Assessment (Call Center, Case Management/Medical Information and Reporting Software)
System Validation
Vendor Management (including RfP Evaluation, Contract Negotiation, Implementation Execution and Long-term Support)
Process Management
Workflow Assessment and Process Mapping
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Work Instruction (WI) creation/implementation
Training
Cutover Plan
Hypercare Support
Audit-Readiness Assessment
Solution Delivery
eta one approached this program in 4-phases:
Analysis and Requirements Gathering →End Point: Approved Implementation Plan
Testing, Validation, Process Implementation →End Points: Approved Test Scripts, Process documentation (SOPs, WIs, etc.)
Training & Rollout →End Points: Executed Cutover Plan, Process Go-Live, Completed Training Sessions
Hypercare →End Points: Closeout of All Support Tickets, GREEN rating: Audit-Readiness Assessment, Successful generation of Medical Affairs Monthly Report Portfolio
Results
The Medical Information call center was formally internalized ahead of schedule and within budget. Following a successful transition, our client saw an operational cost savings of >40%. In addition, by developing and directly managing the new process our client was able to implement quality checks and monitor real-time operations, improving its efficiency and compliance. Lastly, our client gained (or retained) full control of its data and was able to generate process metrics previously unattainable due to cost and system constraints.
