3CX and Healthcare - Opport...

I recently came across a blog post written by Houston Neal of EMR Software Advice.  The blog post titled "Seven Great Applications for IP-PBXs in the Medical Practice" itemizes 7 applications in the medical office environment whereby Neal believes IP PBX's can create efficiencies and reduce costs.  Coincidentally, 3CX's largest US customer is also in the Healthcare field - and they are deploying 3CX on hospital campuses as part of a total hospital nurses' call station solution.

In his article, Neal mentions 3CX for its ability to be installed on existing Windows PC's, as opposed to purchasing a dedicated IP PBX box, which helps further reduce costs and administrative overhead.   Specifically he states:

"PBXs have been around for decades. However, IP-PBXs are the newest breed of PBX based on Internet Protocol (IP) – the technology that makes the Internet work. So, they make it really easy to combine voice (i.e. phone calls) with data (e.g. patient information). IP-PBXs can exist as hardware or software; both have advantages and drawbacks. For example, software-based IP-PBX systems (e.g. 3CX Phone System) don’t require hardware, so it’s less expensive to implement and easier to manage using web-based interfaces."

Interestingly, out of the box 3CX can perform some of the tasks outlined by Neal - specifically IP Faxing, Screen pops (using the CRM integration API), and custom call routing.  The other applications can most likely be built using the 3CX VAD (voice application designer).  I think overall Houston has a good vision for how a medical practice could utilize IP PBX's, and more specifically - 3CX.  Larger practices could even incorporate follow-me type paging zones for doctors and staff by utilizing RFID tags in conjunction with 3CX paging features.

I think that 3CX is well suited to address the Healthcare market due to its ease of installation and administration, rich feature set, Windows platform, and low TCO. With the VAD, there is an endless list of possibilities for Vertical Market-oriented VAR's to benefit from, while solving real-world problems for their clientele.