OACCAC Communications in Perfect Health Thanks to

July 23, 2008 - PRLog -- OTTAWA, Ontario – Case managers at more than half of Ontario’s 14 Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) have seen improvements in their ability to answer the calls of their clients since their old phone systems were retired and replaced with real world unified IP communications solutions powered by Mitel® http://www.mitel.com.

MTS Allstream, the vendor of record has worked closely with Mitel (http://www.mitel.com)and OACCAC (Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres) to deliver a number of sites, with 11 of the 14 CCACs completed or beginning to transition to IP communications by the end of 2008.

The formerly 42 disparate CCACs across the province were reorganized in January 2007 to match the province’s 14 Local Health Integration Networks. The CCACs were tasked with responding to client needs more quickly, and continuing to find ways to be more client-focused.  Key to achieving this was the goal of operating as one organization. This goal was a challenge given that most offices operated their own phone systems, which increased cost and limited the ability for a CCAC to communicate in a centralized and standardized manner.

“The CCACs needed a common architecture to facilitate a provincial standard and to simplify the management of systems across a given CCAC, each having different requirements,” said Margaret Mottershead, CEO, OACCAC. “The networking aspect of the Mitel (http://www.mitel.com) solutions, and the tools which can report against the activity and service metrics of the entire organization will reduce administrative burden, and provide more meaningful business intelligence for staff on the front lines.”  

The formerly disparate sites and systems across each CCAC are in the process of being networked as part of one larger, centralized system, leveraging centralized IT staff to support the larger enterprise. When completed the Mitel solution will layer business applications into the telephony tools to operate with enterprise-wide resources, such as richer intake call flows, teleworking, and mobility.

“The Mitel-based solution delivered to the CCACs builds the foundation to take these service capabilities to a whole new level with contact centre, unified messaging, mobility, presence and collaboration tools that make case managers accessible and responsive to help Ontarians navigate the health care system,” said Jeff Nolan, Mitel’s vice president of sales in Canada. “The Mitel application portfolio includes a range of services that allows each of the CCACs to deliver an enhanced and responsive client experience.”

The Mitel applications portfolio includes a range of services that will assist the CCACs in delivering first-call resolution and improved client experience through enhanced contact centre capabilities that deliver skills-based routing to subject matter experts located across the network. Key to this are unified messaging and mobility applications such as Mitel Mobile Extension, hot desking, and teleworking/soft phones for mobile case managers as they need to have a lifeline to the office while working at remote sites or from home to permit them to reach other key resources, and to be reached by clients regardless of where they may be working in a given day.

The Mitel Teleworker Solution and Mitel Your Assistant™ allow workers to simply plug in to receive the same robust IP phone features, which they would normally enjoy in their offices along with the seamless, secure transfer of voice, video, and data. These highly skilled individuals can be reached with their usual four-digit extension regardless of where they are. Dependable, easy-to-access voicemail systems are now accessible at all times, which is crucial in the event of a disaster. During any kind of pandemic or man-made disaster, the CCACs need to be front and center to assist people in need. The solution, built on the Mitel platform, and customized and delivered by MTS Allstream supports the CCACs in its support of Ontarians.

About the CCACs
CCACs are local organizations which assist clients to access government-funded home care services and long-term care homes. They also help people to navigate the array of community support and health agencies in the community. CCACs provide information and referrals to help determine suitability and eligibility of care. The CCACs work in partnership with doctors, hospitals, long-term care homes, school boards and service agencies looking for innovative ways to prevent hospital admissions and reduce the length of those stays. It is estimated that by 2008, the number of Ontarians receiving care at home will increase to 600,000 annually and is expected to continue to grow.  

About Mitel
Mitel delivers flexibility and simplicity in smart unified communications solutions and applications for organizations of all sizes. Combined with a full range of managed services that include voice and data network design and traffic provisioning, custom application development, and attractive financing options, Mitel is reinventing how successful organizations gain competitive advantage by easily collaborating and communicating over distance and time with customers, colleagues and partners. Mitel’s (www.mitel.com) US headquarters are in Phoenix, AZ. Global headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners, and resellers worldwide.

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Mitel delivers flexibility and simplicity in smart unified communications solutions and applications for organizations of all sizes. Combined with a full range of managed services that include voice and data network design and traffic provisioning, custom application development, and attractive financing options, Mitel is reinventing how successful organizations gain competitive advantage by easily collaborating and communicating over distance and time with customers, colleagues and partners. Mitel's (http://www.mitel.com/) US headquarters are in Phoenix, AZ. Global headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners, and resellers worldwide.