Case Study: UNC Health achieves a 45% increase in referral conversions and reduced call center volume with Artera

UNC Health Exceeds Call Center Goals and Raises Referral Conversions by 45%

UNC Health (UNCH), a large integrated non-profit health system in North Carolina, faced rising referral volumes, high inbound call traffic, and limitations from its previous digital communications vendor (no two-way texting, slow change turnaround, and no real-time data). In June 2020 UNC Health implemented Artera for appointment reminders, recalls, and referrals outreach to improve scheduling and patient communication.

Using Artera’s two-way messaging and outreach workflows, UNC Health enabled patients to text or call back instantly and automated reminders and rescheduling. The results: rheumatology referral conversion rose from 30% to an average of 75% (peaking at 85%), call-center service levels improved from 65% to 93% of calls answered within 30 seconds (a 15% improvement), inbound calls dropped by 1,000–2,000 per month, customer satisfaction on access measures increased 13.4%, and staff stress and morale improved — with UNC Health planning broader rollout and additional Artera features like ChatAssist AI.

UNC Health

Velaire Elliott

Healthcare System Manager, Access and Clinical Integration