Healthcare Provider Applies Wireless Location Server To Improve The Patient Experience

Bronson Healthcare uses Cisco Wireless Control System and Cisco Location Appliance to track wheelchairs and avoid searches and patient waiting.

Bronson Healthcare Group in Kalamazoo, Michigan – a community-owned, not-for-profit healthcare system – enjoys a reputation based on the delivery of excellent care and a companywide commitment to service excellence. With a long-term vision of becoming a national leader in healthcare quality, Bronson routinely assesses its progress in terms of measurable customer satisfaction.

"Waiting for anything puts stress on a patient," explains Nancy Radcliff, a registered nurse and director of customer service at Bronson. "Waiting for something as basic as a wheelchair makes no sense to them, and is therefore extremely frustrating. When we found that our greeters and orderlies were running around looking for wheelchairs every day, and I was e-mailing ‘wheelchair alerts' twice a week to all 4000 employees, we knew we had a serious problem that could impact our customer satisfaction ratings. We quantified the problem and found that it was costing the hospital about $28,000 per month if we added up the employee time spent searching and e-mailing, not including the costs relating to lost and vandalized assets."