In June of 2019, we opened our CrossOver operations center, and we are delighted to celebrate its birthday—and the successes of its first year—this month.
The operations center, located at our Henrico Clinic, receives phone calls for all programs at both CrossOver clinics. Our patient access representatives answer calls, guide prospective patients through our intake process, answer non-medical questions, and schedule appointments, allowing clinic staff and volunteers to dedicate more of their time to direct patient care. Each of our operations center staff members speaks two or more languages, so they are able to meet the language needs of our patients. The operations center receives around 200 calls each day and often more than 1000 calls over the course of a week. Average wait time for a patient to speak with a staff member is less than one minute.
“Our operations center staff, led by Poliana Costa, has done an excellent job in establishing the operations center this year, transitioning to new patient intake by phone, and responding to the COVID-19 crisis in our community,” says CrossOver CEO Julie Bilodeau. “In just one year, they have taken CrossOver’s patient care and community responsiveness to the next level, and we can’t wait to see how they help us continue to grow in the coming months and years.”
Starting Monday, the operations center will begin scheduling appointments for community members who wish to be tested for COVID-19. Through funding from the City of Richmond, CrossOver will be operating a community testing site. Persons do not need to be a CrossOver patient to make an appointment for testing. Community members wishing to make an appointment for COVID-19 testing can contact the operations center at 804-655-2794, option 6.
The CrossOver operations center was established through a grant from the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, which was made possible through funding from Sentara Healthcare and Optima Health, to support infrastructure needs as we prepared to participate in Medicaid. Metropolitan Health Foundation provided funding for our telephone system, and the Bob and Anna Lou Schaberg Fund provided initial funding to support two staff positions. We remain grateful for the support of so many partners as we work to provide compassionate care to people in need.