Lung Health Services Cuts Response Times from 24 Hours to Under 1 Hour With Spruce

In the demanding field of interventional pulmonology, where precision and timely care are paramount, managing complex patient cases is a daily challenge. Ensuring swift diagnosis and treatment, while keeping patient satisfaction high, requires a seamless flow of communication and coordination. "Our work demands precision and speed, especially when dealing with life-threatening conditions like lung cancer," said Dr. Nina Maouelainin, CEO of LHS. "We pride ourselves on being able to diagnose lung carcinoma within ten days from the time a patient is referred to our office."

As LHS's practice grew to over 3,800 patients and more than 6,000 visits a year, maintaining this standard became increasingly difficult. "We had three full-time staff members dedicated to managing calls, but they were struggling to keep up," says Dr. Maouelainin. "The biggest challenge was the amount of calls we were getting each day." The complexity of these calls added to the burden, as they often involved multiple layers of coordination, including referrals from other specialists, detailed patient inquiries, and critical follow-ups.

This led to significant delays, with patients often waiting up to 24 hours for a response. At times, Dr. Maouelainin couldn't reach her own staff due to the overloaded phone lines: "It was a wake-up call; if I was frustrated, you can imagine just how frustrated our patients were—both as new patients, and as returning patients."

Although LHS's previous solution was a robust business phone system with multiple lines, it was ineffective at reducing the manual effort required to keep track of patient communications, while still being very costly. As Dr. Maouelainin puts it, "What frustrated us the most was the constant phone tag. Patients would call, and with no one available to answer, they'd have to keep trying. Meanwhile, we were left managing voicemails and manually entering notes into the EMR."

LHS partnered with Spruce to streamline patient communications and solve their operational challenges.

By integrating all communication channels—phone calls, texts, and fax—into a single platform, Spruce eliminated the need for multiple, disjointed systems that were both inefficient and costly.

Spruce's user-friendly interface and the ability to transfer existing phone and fax numbers ensured a seamless transition without any disruptions. "What really impressed me was how straightforward it was to bring everything into one platform. We were able to keep our phone and fax numbers without any hassle, and now everything is centralized, making our workflow much more efficient."

With Spruce, LHS's staff can easily tag team members, categorize inquiries, and quickly see voicemail transcriptions, which has not only dramatically reduced time spent on patient communications, but also allowed for more efficient internal operations.

Spruce's customizable inbox views also allow LHS's staff members to focus on the messages that are most relevant. "Spruce allows us to maintain our independent workflows without forcing everyone to do things the same way."

Spruce also natively integrates with third-party systems, including Elation, the EHR used by LHS. This has allowed the practice to move SMS texts, automated transcriptions, and other communication items seamlessly between the two platforms, keeping everything in sync and significantly improving patient experience.

"Being able to text patients and copy transcriptions directly into our EHR has saved us countless hours and reduced the risk of errors," explains Dr. Maouelainin. "Spruce has been a game-changer for us. We now have centralized control over patient communication, improved efficiency, and the ability to track and manage all interactions in one platform."

LHS has seen dramatic improvements in efficiency from streamlining patient communications with Spruce. With their old solution, the practice required four full-time employees to handle the heavy volume of phone calls and care coordination tasks. "With Spruce, we're so much more efficient that one person can now manage what used to take three people," says Dr. Maouelainin. As a result, LHS staff now spend 43% less time on phone-related tasks, freeing up time to focus on more critical tasks, such as preauthorizations and patient care.

The impact on patient communication has been transformational for the clinic. Before Spruce, the high volume of calls often resulted in long delays and frustration for patients. Now, staff can text patients directly, eliminating the need for phone tag and long hold times. Patients appreciate the convenience of SMS, and staff can respond more quickly and efficiently. As Dr. Maouelainin notes, "patients love the fact that they can just text us instead of waiting on hold or playing phone tag. We hear positive feedback about it every day."

The practice has also been able to significantly improve response times—a critical metric for a clinic that prides itself on providing swift solutions to complex medical issues. "The difference is night and day. We used to have a 24-hour delay in returning calls, but with Spruce, we're now able to respond to patients in less than an hour. It's made a huge difference in patient satisfaction," says Dr. Maouelainin. "At the end of the business day, all phone calls are returned, and there are no leftover tasks waiting for the next morning."

By consolidating their phone and fax systems with Spruce, LHS has also reduced their monthly expenses by 80%, representing a savings of more than $24,000 per year. "Switching to Spruce has been a huge financial relief for our practice," Dr. Maouelainin explains. "We've been able to cut our communication costs significantly, while also improving our efficiency and patient satisfaction." The improved communication and reduction in delays have also significantly impacted the clinic's appointment fill rate. With patient inquiries being addressed in under an hour, scheduling has become much more efficient, reducing the likelihood of missed appointments or cancellations. "We're now at capacity, which is a great problem to have," says Dr. Maouelainin. "Patients are getting quicker responses, making it much easier for them to secure appointments, and that has kept our schedule fully booked." By streamlining communication processes, reducing response times, and consolidating multiple tools into a single, cost-effective platform, Spruce has not only improved patient care and staff workflow but also delivered an impressive return on investment for the clinic.