From decentralized patient support to a scalable service model across a healthcare network

This was the challenge faced by a European diagnostic and outpatient healthcare network.

More than a decade ago, the organization partnered with Axendi to centralize patient support operations, improve service accessibility, standardize patient communication, and build a scalable model capable of supporting future growth.

Challenge

Lack of process standardization

Patients contacted the organization regarding a wide range of diagnostic and healthcare services—from scheduling examinations such as MRI, CT, and PET-CT scans, to obtaining information about exam preparation, medical documentation, and test results.

As the partnership evolved, the scope of supported processes gradually expanded.

Although all facilities operated under the same brand, many had developed their own approaches to patient registration, exam preparation, and communication over the years. As a result, creating a consistent patient support model across the entire network became a significant operational challenge.

Managing complexity at scale

The organization handled tens of thousands of patient interactions every month. Maintaining a high standard of service while accommodating the specific requirements of individual facilities, different types of examinations, and numerous process exceptions required a model that balanced standardization with operational flexibility.

Building trust in a centralized patient support model

Another challenge was gaining the confidence of facility managers and medical staff in the new operating model. There were concerns about whether highly specialized processes—such as scheduling advanced diagnostic examinations or providing patients with detailed preparation instructions—could be effectively managed by a centralized support team without negatively affecting the patient experience.

Demonstrating that a centralized model could deliver both consistency and quality was therefore a critical part of the transformation.

Solution

Axendi implemented a centralized patient support model delivered by a dedicated team specializing in healthcare operations.

The project involved not only taking over patient support activities but also designing the operating model, standardizing processes, and establishing effective collaboration mechanisms between the central support team and individual healthcare facilities.

The scope of support includes:

• scheduling diagnostic examinations and medical appointments,
• providing patients with information about exam preparation,
• handling inquiries related to medical results and documentation,
• managing ongoing patient communication,
• handling complaints and service quality-related requests,
• managing patient feedback and review channels,
• coordinating activities with individual healthcare facilities.

A key element of the project was the standardization of patient support processes while maintaining the flexibility required to accommodate local procedures and operational exceptions.

The model was built around:

• close collaboration with healthcare facilities,
• continuous knowledge management,
• quality monitoring,
• ongoing process optimization.

This approach enabled the organization to create a consistent patient experience across the network while preserving the operational flexibility required in a complex healthcare environment.

Results

Since the launch of the centralized patient support model, both the scope of services and the scale of operations have grown steadily alongside the expansion of the healthcare network and the increasing complexity of supported processes.

The number of handled calls increased from more than 45,000 per month in 2016 to nearly 96,000 per month today, while maintaining high service quality and continuously optimizing operational processes.

Today, the model delivers:

• nearly 96,000 patient calls handled per month,
• a 92% Answer Rate,
• consistent patient communication across the entire healthcare network,
  effective collaboration between the central support team and individual facilities.

Most importantly, the centralized model created a scalable operational foundation that enables continued growth without the need to decentralize patient support processes.

As the organization expands, new facilities and services can be integrated into the existing operating model while maintaining consistency, quality, and operational efficiency.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated that centralizing patient support operations—while preserving the flexibility needed to accommodate local processes—can improve service accessibility, support a consistent patient experience, and create a scalable operating model for a distributed healthcare network.

Today, the centralized patient support team is an integral part of the organization’s operations, helping ensure access to healthcare services while supporting the efficient functioning of a growing network of medical facilities.

The model continues to provide the scalability and operational consistency needed to support the organization’s long-term growth.