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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Telelink?
- What can Telelink do for a hospital?
- How much net income can a hospital
expect?
- How is billing data transferred
to Telelink?
- What does Telelink offer patients?
- How do patients dial to activate
phone/TV services?
- The "Telelink" service can
be delivered in two different methods:
- How are patients informed to
activate phone/TV service?
- How are patient complaints and
adjustments handled?
- Who is UTC?
1. What is Telelink?
Telelink is an automated electronic billing and communication
system. It collects billing data for the daily charges for patient's
phone/TV service during their hospital stay, converts it, and transmits
it through the Telelink network to dozens of major telephone
companies and credit card companies. This produces a line item on the patient's home
telephone bill or credit card bill for collection. The efficiencies of the Telelink
system produce major advantages for hospitals:
- less labor for hospital staff
- increased net income
- enhanced patient satisfaction
2. What can Telelink do for a hospital?
Reduce hospital staff costs:
- It is simple and easy to help patients accept phone/TV services.
- No time spent manually turning phone/TV's on and off.
- Hospital staff does not handle complaints, refunds and adjustments.
Patients call 800-775-8352; to Operator HelpLink Center.
Increase collection rates:
- 70% to 80% plus collection rate
3. How much net income can a hospital expect?
With Telelink, your hospital sets its own rates for phone/TV.
Typically, rates of $5.00 per day would create $600 per bed per year
net income; (300 beds =$180,000 per yr. net income). $10.00 per day would create about $1200 net income per bed per year; (300 beds =$360,000 per yr. net income).
Try our online
Cost Recovery
Calculator to see how much money you can recover.
4. How is billing data transferred to Telelink?
One of the strengths of the Telelink system is how easy it
is to transmit patient's billing data to Telelink's data processing
center. Electronic Transfer is the most efficient method, simply transfer
files from hospital's main frame... or from the Telelink on-site
link box.
5. What does Telelink offer patients?
Convenience! That's what patients like most about Telelink.
- Patients have the choice to dial to activate services.
- Dialing for service is quick and easy.
- No need to bring cash or credit cards.
- No collectors hassling patients at bedside.
- Charges are clearly and accurately documented on the home telephone
bill.
- Billing questions and adjustments are handled promptly and courteously
by operators at the HelpLink Call Center by a toll free 800 number.
6. How do patients dial to activate phone/TV services?
Once Telelink has been connected to the hospital's ADT and
connected to the hospital's telephone switch, patients can dial 5151,
follow instructions and press "1" to activate both phone/TV, press "2" for phone only, press "3" for TV only.
Tracking patient transfers and discharges is automated. Billing data
is stored for UTC to extract from the system each week.
7. The "Telelink®" service can be delivered
in two different methods:
- Dial to Activate
- Dial to Operator
8. How are patients informed to activate phone/TV
service?
- Welcome channel on TV monitor
- Label on bedside phone
- Tent Card
- Phone Prompts
9. How are patient complaints and adjustments handled?
Patient satisfaction is one of the main reasons hospitals utilize
Telelink. Telelink has a patient support system that
ensures rapid and courteous response when patients call HelpLink's
toll-free 800 number, which appears on their home telephone bill.
- Trained operators respond to questions and concerns.
- HelpLink operators computers provide instant access to
patient billing record information.
- Questions and adjustments are resolved in the first call.
10. Who is UTC?
United Telemanagement Corporation's (UTC) corporate headquarters
are located in Dayton Ohio. UTC is this country's oldest and largest
company
that provides home telephone billing for patient bedside phone/TV
services. UTC is billing over 1,800,000 patients per year. UTC has
developed
a number of products that provide patient convenience and cost recovery
programs for over 200 hospitals nationwide.
UTC has established expertise in providing automated billing services
for hospitals, medical centers and television vendors. This expertise
has created the registered trade names Telelink® and
Toll Free North America®. These names are recognized by most hospital administrators.
UTC's services are convenient for patients and improve collections
for hospitals.
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