A great representation of the fantastic team we have here and the phenomenal work we are doing. Happy to share this.

1. Patient Access Services
2015 Annual Report
Enhancing the patient
care experience with
easier access to the
right medical care

2. A message from leadership
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We are excited to share our second annual report for Northwell Health
Patient Access Services (PAS), highlighting our continued successes and
accomplishments. In 2015, we worked diligently to build upon the foundation
we put in place during 2014, our first year of operation. Our significant growth
enabled us to connect more patients to more services across Northwell Health.
Our workforce continued to expand and deliver the exceptional customer service
our patients have come to expect.
Quality assurance as well as training and development were at the forefront this
year. Our robust QA process provides ongoing feedback to every representative.
Our experienced representatives have received extensive training, which is
continuously being improved to keep up with the changes in the healthcare
landscape. PAS team members learn how to better connect with patients
and colleagues in order to make sure we are providing the optimal patient
experience. We ensure that there are always ongoing opportunities to promote
an environment where morale and employee satisfaction remain extremely high.
In 2016, we look to continue to enhance our new state-of-the-art telephony
platform Avaya, to provide patients with multiple channels to contact us. This
technology also provides extensive analytics including real-time, historical
data which enables us to improve our efficiency and productivity. Primary
stakeholders are provided weekly call metrics along with appointment
scheduling data to facilitate the conversation to improve provider access and
streamline workflows.
Most importantly, PAS remains committed to always putting our patients first
and advancing our core mission to simplify access to the appropriate physicians
or services within Northwell Health.
Join us as we share the highlights from the 2015 calendar year and look forward
to another successful year in 2016.
June Scarlett
Vice President
Patient Access Services
Northwell Health
Gene Tangney
Senior Vice President
and Chief Administrative Officer
Northwell Health

3. About Patient Access Services
Mission and vision
Patient Access Services works to improve
the patient care experience by enhancing
and simplifying access to the appropriate
physician or service within Northwell
Health. To achieve a loyal customer
following and support successful physician
practice, we believe in a consistent patient
experience through compassionate,
knowledgeable and readily accessible
customer service across the continuum
of care.
Patient Access Services
Patient Access Services is a key strategic
initiative within Northwell Health that
functions as the centralized contact center
for both patients and providers — a “front
door” through which patients can enter the
organization. Based in Melville, NY, Patient
Access Services supports appointment
scheduling and referral management across
the continuum of care: Northwell Health
Physician Partners practices, urgent care
centers and emergency departments.
PAS also supports marketing campaigns
and population health initiatives. This
integrated service, available seven days a
week, was created to simplify the complex
healthcare environment for patients and
to increase patient satisfaction. Outside
of normal call hours, calls are routed to
24/7 after-hour services, one of which is
Northwell Health’s Center for Emergency
Medical Services (CEMS). PAS guarantees a
24-hour turnaround on all patient requests
that come in after hours.
Our facility
Patient Access Services’ 20,000-square-foot
facility boasts an open layout, containing
132 workstations. In addition, there are
29 large-screen monitors that display
the contact center’s daily metrics as well
as agents’ performance in real time to
promote transparency, accountability and
adherence to schedules.
Our facilities include:
–– Two teleconference-equipped
conference rooms
–– State-of-the-art training room
–– Library/quiet room
–– Two break rooms

4. Training and development
In our second year, our growth is an
indicator of our success. As we continue to
add new team members, we also evolve our
training program to meet the needs of the
customers we serve.
All team members participate in
introductory training, consisting of more
than 25 learning modules conducted
over three months to accommodate
the changing dynamics of PAS and its
clients. This training includes technology,
healthcare terminology development and
customer service-centric soft skills that
help forge a connection with our patients
and colleagues.
Some highlights from 2015:
Peer-to-peer training
As a supplement to our formal training
program, we have identified team members
who are experts in specific areas.
Peers can be an excellent resource for
support and company knowledge, which
makes peer-to-peer training an excellent
tool to help new employees and their peers
develop professionally.
On-site practice observations
We place team members in a practice we
support. Still logged in and answering calls,
they are integrated into the practice to
interact with their colleagues, be involved
in their huddles and share information to
better serve our patients.
Special ops team boot camp
We have identified individuals to serve as
part of an advanced service representative
team, responsible for providing support
to entities that fall outside of and/or span
practices and service lines. This team,
known as our “Special Ops” team, has in-
depth knowledge of the vast services our
organization offers, enabling them to help
patients gain access to the physicians and
services they need. We continue to develop
this team’s technical skills and its ability to
handle non-traditional calls and requests
through intensive “boot camp training” –
also designed to enhance analytical and
critical thinking skills.
Ongoing refresher training
In addition to our introductory on-boarding
training, we are committed to continued
development of our team members.
Refresher training helps team members
grow and develop their knowledge, skills
and competencies. Power phrasing,
empathy and scripting are some of the
areas we review on an ongoing basis.
Culture of C.A.R.E.
Ensuring each and every employee has the
tools they need to deliver an exceptional
experience is at the heart of our efforts to
advance our mission. Northwell Health’s
Office of Patient and Customer Experience
established a framework for interacting
with patients, the Culture of C.A.R.E. (which
stands for connectedness, awareness,
respect and empathy). Patient Access
Services has integrated this framework into
our culture. Team members participate in
an interactive, two-hour educational course
with their peers to learn how to advance
our Culture of C.A.R.E. By re-igniting the
passion and focusing on the customer, each
team member can reconnect with what
it means to deliver outstanding care and
service to our patients and customers, and
explore ways to sustain a culture of C.A.R.E.
Employee spotlight
Tiana Medrano
Patient Access Services Representative
“I have been working at Patient Access Services for a year and it is a wonderful job. I use the
word ‘job’ loosely because even though we work very hard, the atmosphere allows us to
breathe. I am very pleased to be working in such an encouraging environment.
“Patient Access Services is different from most jobs I have had in the past. Those positions
placed you under pressure with no team effort or communication. Here at Patient Access
Services, we all work together as a great collaborative team — even management. We are
all expected to complete our tasks accordingly and we do so proudly. Anytime you have
a question, no matter how big or small, all you have to do is ask and anyone will answer
willingly. I am very proud of myself and my team members, who are by far the best.”

5. Employee engagement
Here at Patient Access Services, our culture
is consistently vibrant and dynamic. In 2015,
we kept on trend by continuing to make
engaging our employees and promoting
wellness top priorities. Some of our
employee programs this year included:
Wellness Programs: Promoting physical
and mental wellness is vital in customer
service, which requires staff to be seated
and engaged mentally for long periods of
time. Some of the programs we offer to
help employees stay healthy and manage
stress include weekly yoga classes, stress
management workshops, optional “exercise
ball” chairs that help improve posture and
core strength, healthy lunch and vending
machine options and walking meetings.
The CAT Team (Collaborative Action
Team): This team is made up of volunteers
who want to contribute to process
improvements within PAS. Volunteers
get together from every team and come
up with a concept they would like to
implement and present to leadership. They
have 12 weeks to agree on their idea, do the
necessary research, and put together the
plan and presentation.
PAS Times: Written entirely by PAS
employees, this internal newsletter is
distributed to staff each quarter. Content
includes employee interviews, a “did
you know?” section, new team member
announcements, staff baby pictures,
healthy recipes, contact center performance
and a crossword puzzle.
The Fun Committee: This committee of
hand-picked creative and enthusiastic
individuals from all levels works together to
come up with fun and innovative ways to
bring employees together. Highlights from
this year include the distribution of plants
to every employee on the first day of spring,
a Cinco de Mayo celebration featuring
festive food and decorations, and a healthy
summer BBQ.
Annual Customer Service Week: Each year
in October PAS celebrates Customer Service
Week and our employees. This year’s theme
was “Around the World,” with different
areas of the contact center representing
different countries. Each staff member
received a passport highlighting the
countries they would be visiting during the
week, with surprise events each day related
to that culture and country. The week
concluded in the United States, where the
training room was transformed into a game
room with activities and awards for staff.
Quality
At Patient Access Services, we believe
quality assurance must exist in all phases
of the program to make it a success. The
PAS Quality Assurance Program has one
major focus, implementing standards that
help our agents deliver a superior customer
service experience. We put patients at the
center of everything that we do, monitoring
and analyzing calls and providing training to
continuously improve staff performance.
Evaluating the adequacy and
appropriateness of call performance
ensures quick, accurate and well-informed
responses to calls. Our well-rounded
QA program establishes standards with
measurable goals, documents policies and
procedures, and trains staff.
All inbound and outbound calls are recorded
and 20 percent of screens are captured to
monitor performance and improve patient
care quality.
We use a quality evaluation form
(scorecard) to review and analyze each
agent call on a qualitative and quantitative
basis. The scorecard measures standards
that should be met by the Patient Access
Service agent during each interaction to
address the reason for the call and satisfy
the customer.
Standard measurements include: inbound
and outbound call greeting, verification,
insurance, call control, process adherence,
data capture, appointment scheduling,
message content, first call resolution,
rapport building and standard closing.
Categories are weighted accordingly.
The form is structured around a series of
yes/no questions, with agents receiving
a weighted point for each section they
complete satisfactorily. Each section has a
possible perfect score of 100 points, and a
minimum pass rate of 70. If an agent does
not fulfill the standards for the mandatory
sections — HIPPA compliance, insurance
verification and accurate scheduling — the
form results in an “Automatic Fail.”
In 2015, QA training was extended to
a full day of interactive, personalized,
contextual training and coaching. QA
training opportunities were also extended
to our external network to increase
our partnership. The peer-to-peer call
monitoring program was incorporated to
advance staff performance. This year we
launched a Quality Assurance Trophy to
recognize outstanding call performance
by team.

6. Services
Transitions in care
As healthcare providers work to improve
the effectiveness of transitions of patient
care in all settings, Patient Access Services
has made a significant investment to
develop highly reliable processes to
manage patients as they “cross settings”
through the continuum of care. Areas of
focus include:
–– Discharged hospitalized patients with a
high or moderate risk for readmission:
Outbound calls are placed to patients
to schedule high-risk patients within 48
hours and moderate-risk patients within
one week.
–– Emergency Department: For emergency
department treat and release patients
who need additional care, PAS received
inbound calls to schedule appointments.
–– GoHealth Urgent Care: When patients
discharged from urgent care sites need
additional care, PAS helps facilitate
their appointment needs. Inbound or
outbound calls to patients help schedule
timely visits. This was implemented at 18
GoHealth Sites as of the end of 2015.
–– Referral Management: In 2015, we
expanded our pilot with Northwell
Health Physician Partners. Through this
collaboration, inbound calls or outbound
calls allow patients to schedule visits with
providers in Northwell Health Physician
Partners. PAS also facilitates referrals
with insurance companies as needed for
these referrals.
–– (888) 321-DOCS and Web Requests:
Phone number listed on website with
click-to-dial as well as on marketing
materials for Northwell Health. Serves
as the general referral and appointment
resource for multiple areas.
–– BocaHealth Link: The goal of this
initiative is to seamlessly connect the
world-class care provided by Northwell
Health with the Boca Raton Regional
Hospital on the gold coast of Florida.
Through the integration of medical
records, enhanced communication,
and development of coordinated
care plans, patients are assured of
receiving personalized care regardless of
their location.
Boutique services
In 2015, PAS continued to add, support and
expand a number of high-profile initiatives
for the organization. Some of these
important projects include:
–– CareSolutions Outreach: PAS agents
place outbound calls to patients with
gaps in care. Agents are knowledgeable
in educating patients on the importance
of preventative care and scheduling
appointments. Patients of Northwell
Health Physician Partners providers may
also choose to receive appointment
reminders. PAS has seen improved
compliance rates on measures including
colorectal cancer screening, chlamydia
screening and diabetic care. PAS
scheduled 972 appointments for this
initiative in 2015.
–– CareConnect: PAS contributes to
providing a seamless and complete
customer experience of CareConnect
by booking appointments and finding
providers for CareConnect members.
–– Marketing Campaigns: PAS supports
various Northwell Health marketing
campaigns on an as-needed basis,
booking appointments and/or
collecting critical information about our
customer base.
Looking forward
As health care changes, we also must
change, meeting the needs of our clients
and their patients.
Clinical algorithms
This year, we began a clinical algorithm
project with the ENT service line, featuring
proprietary scheduling protocols designed
directly in partnership with the service line
and clinical leadership. This information will
allow PAS employees to triage the patient
to the right provider based on symptoms,
conditions, demographics and geographic
preferences. These scheduling guidelines
will enhance physician utilization,
identify which patients need additional
clinical expertise and increase accuracy
of scheduling.
Remote agent pilot
In 2015, we implemented a successful
remote agent program, giving agents
the capability to work from home. This
allows Patient Access Services to continue
its impressive growth and minimize the
concerns of space. The program also allows
us to be very nimble as it also serves as a
disaster recovery program in the event of
inclement weather or power outage. The
17 remote agents who have embraced the
program are among our top performers.
Disaster recovery
In 2015, we focused significant efforts
into developing business continuity and
disaster recovery plans. Utilizing a proactive
approach, we identified steps necessary
to prevent or minimize the disruption
of our processes, and with Northwell
Health’s Corporate Security and Emergency
Management team, we deployed
technology that would enable us to mass
communicate with our entire workforce in a
disaster scenario along with instructions.
A key component of our redundancy plan
for these disaster scenarios was moving
part of our workforce as remote agents.

7. Avaya telephony platform
Patient Access Services is currently
supported by a best-in-class contact center
telephony platform, Avaya. The system is
designed to provide healthcare consumers
with exceptional access to our contact
center agents. Designed as a “highly
available” system, the Avaya architecture
and solution design for Northwell Health
provides the necessary equipment and
processing redundancy to assure that no
single failure causes a telephony outage.
The solution will occupy two Northwell
Health data centers and achieves 99.999
percent reliability. The system also
features intelligent routing, which directs
calls around network failures to assure
service continuity.
Wallboards
PAS utilizes 23 strategically placed
wallboards throughout its space to help
proactively manage customer demand as
well as agent performance. Supervisors are
able to monitor performance real-time data
and also see when thresholds are not being
met. By providing instant access to our
agents and leadership team, we also create
a culture of transparency.
Call management system
At PAS, we aim to meet and exceed our
customers’ requirements. One way we
accomplish this is by managing by metrics.
Our data-driven approach includes
empowering our leadership team with real
time and historical data on contact center
performance. Through the integrated
analysis engine, they are able to monitor
performance by generating reports, or
utilizing dashboards to manage contact
center operations. Task scheduling,
exception notifications, and threshold
warnings can be tracked along with custom
reports to provide PAS leadership with
necessary intelligence.
Workforce management
–– Workforce Optimization (WFO) is a
web-based software suite that enables
the systems and people involved in
critical customer service functions to
work more effectively, share information
and ultimately deliver a better, more
cost-effective customer experience.
WFO provides unified and integrated
functionality to address the contact
center’s full range of needs. This includes:
–– Workforce Management: We are able
to forecast anticipated call volume and
ensure staffing levels appropriately. Each
employee schedule can be customized
to accommodate breaks, eLearning,
classroom learning and coaching sessions
with their supervisors.
• Quality management
• 100 percent call recording and 20
percent screen capture
• Digital call evaluation and sharing.
• Comprehensive analytics
–– Performance Management: Data can
be captured and aggregated across
all systems. The advanced scorecard
functionality allows PAS to monitor
organizational key performance
indicators and individual staff metrics.
–– eLearning and Coaching:
• Provide timely and relevant training
available directly on the employees’
desktop and incorporated into
their schedules.
• Shows coursework that has been
assigned and tracks completion.
• Readily available trend analysis to
illustrate the effects of training
modules on various metrics and key
performance indicators.
Technology

8. 2015 year in review
Growth
2014 2015 GROWTH%
InboundCalls 319,000 809,702 154%
OutboundCalls 114,000 348,980 206%
EmailInquiries 4,000 9,778 144%
TotalSoarianActivity 121,900 275,019 126%
ProvidersSupported 169 338 100%
ProductLines 31 69 123%
Northwell Health
Appointments
2014 vs 2015
0
60000
120000
180000
240000
300000300,000
240,000
180,000
120,000
60,000
0
In 2015, we showed major
growth in inbound and outbound
calls, email inquiries, providers
supported and product lines.
2014 2015
Key accomplishments in 2015:
–– QA process refined to include specialty-specific criteria
–– Recruited senior trainer to continue to develop customer service and technical skills
–– On-boarded 42 new services including physician practices and other services to the contact center
–– Successfully launched a remote work force pilot of 17 PAS representatives
–– Rolled out the best-in-class telephony platform Avaya across the contact center
–– Implemented work force optimization (WFO), a forecasting and scheduling module
–– Expanded workforce