Chicago-based Cook County Health and Hospitals System plans to open a call center, hire hundreds of nurses and undertake numerous capital investments to improve patient experience, according to a Crain's Chicago Business article.
The initiatives are a part of the system's proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning Dec. 1, and they aim at making the health system more competitive.
The call center will allow patients to book a doctor's appointment or talk to a clinician about symptoms that might trigger a visit to the emergency room. This will help standardize the process for coming to the hospital. Also, the health system plans on spending about $10 million on capital investments, including blood pressure cuffs, wheelchairs and patient beds. It also plans on filling 500 vacancies in 2015, according to the report.
More articles on quality:
Melrose-Wakefield Hospital faces $28k OSHA fine for unsafe practices
CMS issues Parkland Health 'immediate jeopardy' warning
Study: Blood test costs vary up to 1k-fold among California hospitals