Automating Vaccination Communication: St. Luke’s University Health Network's Shot-Line

St. Luke’s University Health Network is a hospital system made up of 12 locations across eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. The network was working hard to administer COVID-19 vaccines to as many eligible individuals as possible. However, they were overwhelmed by the volume of people seeking a vaccination and the communication bottleneck between those who wanted the shot and the number of vaccines available. The hospital system initially attempted to remedy this bottleneck with a simple online intake process and increased staffing levels for their existing call center. However, they were still struggling to manage the volume of calls, with a callback list of about 5,000 people daily.

St. Luke’s University Health Network, a hospital system with 12 locations across eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey, was overwhelmed by the volume of people seeking a COVID-19 vaccination. The communication bottleneck between those who wanted the vaccine and the number of vaccines available was a significant challenge. Initially, the hospital attempted to remedy this bottleneck with a simple online intake process that let patients fill out a questionnaire to determine their vaccine eligibility status. To support the registration process, they increased staffing levels for their existing call center to meet the rapidly increasing volume of calls from patients asking about the vaccine. However, they were still struggling to manage the volume of calls, with a callback list of about 5,000 people daily. This situation was not sustainable and posed a risk that elderly or immunocompromised individuals would not be able to sign up for a vaccine and further risk contracting COVID-19.

St. Luke’s University Health Network built St. Luke’s Shot-Line, an automated scheduling and appointment reminder system that lets patients self-schedule their appointments over the phone and receive reminders in the channel of their choice, using Twilio’s platform. The system uses cloud communication technology to handle automated messaging to people who sign up for more vaccine information. By using Twilio, St. Luke’s team can prevent overbooking, and also target segmented audiences based on the data within their system. St. Luke’s even customized Shot-Line’s language to its Spanish-speaking patients. Patients are targeted based on location, age, language, and other demographics, and then send an automated message eliminating the need to wait on hold to speak to a live agent. This also lets St. Luke’s improve upon the quality of the data within their system. The system has made vaccination more equitable for those across the digital divide, especially for those who don’t have the technical wherewithal to spend time refreshing a screen or even have easy access to the internet altogether.

• The implementation of St. Luke’s Shot-Line has been a smashing success for patients across the 11 counties St. Luke’s serves. The system has not only improved the efficiency of the vaccination process but also made it more equitable, especially for those who don’t have the technical wherewithal to spend time refreshing a screen or even have easy access to the internet altogether. The system has been particularly beneficial for elderly patients, providing them with a smoother and more accessible experience. Now, scheduling and confirmation take all of three minutes without waiting to speak to a live person at all. The system has also improved the quality of the data within their system, allowing St. Luke’s to target patients based on location, age, language, and other demographics.

• 320,000 vaccines administered in 6 months
• 2 weeks to launch Twilio solution
• 99.8% decrease in callback time