The Role of the Hospital Switchboard Within a DCC

Many countries have adopted the idea of a centralised, digitally-enabled hub to manage patient flow, operational efficiency, and real-time decision-making in hospitals. A centralised, digital approach to coordinating care and optimising hospital operations is part of a broader global trend of digital health coordination and data-driven management.

In Australia, the term “Digital Coordination Centre” (DCC) is used to describe this concept. The core function of a DCC aligns perfectly with Australia’s overarching national strategies, such as the Commonwealth Digital Health Blueprint 2023–2033 and the National Digital Health Strategy 2023–2028.

The action plans focus on creating the digital infrastructure and workforce capability to support the “digital enablement” of health services. DCCs are a prime example of a high-value digital solution that this infrastructure is intended to support and scale.

A hospital’s call centre is a critical communication component and an integral part of the larger DCC. The switchboard acts as the primary front door for patient and external communications, feeding essential information and service requests into the DCC’s centralised, data-driven system.

While the DCC focuses on real-time operational efficiency and patient flow within the hospital (like bed management and coordinating staff), the switchboard handles the high-volume communications that trigger or support these internal processes.

A Centralised Communication Hub

The call centre is a centralised point for managing all inbound and increasingly outbound communications—including phone calls, texts, emails, and online chat.

Inbound requests from patients and external partners (e.g., EMS, referring clinics) are handled by the hospital through the call centre, and the switchboard manages outbound communication for follow-ups, appointment reminders, and post-discharge check-ins.

Data Feeder and Action Initiator

The interactions managed by the call centre generate real-time data that is fed into the DCC’s system, often integrated with the Electronic Health Record (EHR), including:

• Appointment Scheduling. Scheduling appointments and managing referrals directly affects the DCC’s ability to forecast patient demand and manage clinic or surgical flow.
• Triage and Routing. The switchboard utilizes protocols, often aided by AI, to triage patient calls and route them to the appropriate level of care (e.g., direct-to-telehealth, in-person visit, or emergency services). This data on service needs informs the allocation of DCC resources.
• Service Requests. Calls for non-clinical services, such as environmental services, are often initiated through the call centre and become tasks coordinated by the DCC.

Care Coordination Enabler

By using integrated technology, the call centre ensures a smooth patient journey, which is the ultimate goal of the DCC. The switchboard has access to patient history and records (via EHR integration) to provide personalized, informed assistance, eliminating the need for patients to repeat information.

The switchboard supports patients by providing assistance with technical issues related to telehealth and scheduling them for virtual visits, thereby supporting the DCC’s push for digital care delivery. The proactive calls made by the switchboard to check on patients after they leave the hospital help reduce readmission rates, a key performance indicator monitored by the DCC.

In short, the Digital Coordination Centre provides the vision and centralised platform to monitor the entire hospital ecosystem, and the Hospital Switchboard provides the direct, real-time communication interface necessary to initiate, manage, and coordinate a vast number of patient interactions within that ecosystem.

If you have questions related to transforming your hospital call centre into a DCC, please don’t hesitate to contact Nick Evans at +61 2 5017 9925 or nevans@amtelco.com.