CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2005--PhoneScreen, a Chicago-based healthcare call center specializing in patient recruitment, retention, and compliance services for clinical trials, is joining with its sister company, American Mediconnect, to celebrate 20 years on the frontlines of healthcare communications. PhoneScreen developed out of American Mediconnect, which was founded in 1985 as an answering service for hospitals, medical centers, physician practices and clinics. The two companies handle millions of calls annually and work in tandem to service all facets of the healthcare communications marketplace. In his 1998 book, The Bleeding Edge, medical economist J.D. Kleinke notes, "There is no more profound a 'process innovation' in health care than the emergence of automated triage systems." Kleinke goes on to say that, "Putting a rational, low cost mechanism at the very front end of the treatment system dramatically reduces utilization."
"At PhoneScreen, we are able to meet the needs of pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies because of our ongoing relationship with American Mediconnect," says Janet Lifshitz, President. "What we learned from the early years of American Mediconnect is how best to communicate with patients and providers. That experience made it possible for PhoneScreen to grow quickly and craft clinical trial best practices that range from custom scripting and online reporting to site services and referral tracking."
Thomson CenterWatch estimates that the call center market for patient recruitment has grown 80 percent in the last three years to $97 million. CenterWatch further estimates that the pharmaceutical industry will need 20 million people to seek inclusion in clinical trials in 2005 - seven times the 2.8 million who responded to clinical trial promotions in 1999.
"Whether they are asked to tackle a complex call center assignment or a more basic support program, PhoneScreen always applies the same level of vigor and attention to detail, says Susan Blaustein, Senior Manager of Patient Recruitment at GlaxoSmithKline. "We continue to collaborate with them because they stick to their core competencies and strive to make them better and better."
About PhoneScreen and American Mediconnect
PhoneScreen is a call center leader in the healthcare industry that provides comprehensive patient recruitment, retention, and compliance services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. PhoneScreen developed out of American Mediconnect, a telephone answering service that was established in 1985 to support physicians and other healthcare providers. Both companies are highly sensitive to patient concerns, handle millions of calls annually, and often collaborate to service all facets of the healthcare communications marketplace. Please visit www.phonescreen.com or www.mediconnect.com for more information.
Contact: For PhoneScreen Karen Barzilay, 508-794-1039 karenbarzilay@comcast.net