Case Study: Hartford HealthCare achieves real-time family updates and higher patient satisfaction with Waitwhile

Waitwhile helps Hartford HealthCare’s Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute provide exceptional experiences to patients and their families

Hartford HealthCare’s Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute (COI) faced the challenge of keeping anxious patients’ family members informed during lengthy, high‑stress surgical procedures. To improve perioperative communication and overall experience, Hartford HealthCare began using Waitwhile in 2017, leveraging Waitwhile’s SMS and analytics tools to address real‑time updates and visitor communication gaps.

Waitwhile worked with COI to build an automated, step‑wise messaging flow (welcome → surgeon update → recovery → ready for visitors) with two‑way SMS so family members can ask questions and staff can respond directly. The implementation increased satisfaction across the organization—COI reports consistently positive reviews and a 99% customer satisfaction metric—reduced family anxiety, and has prompted expansion of the Waitwhile program within Hartford HealthCare.

Hartford HealthCare

Andrew Turczak

Senior Director of Operations Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute