Yukon-Kuskokwin Health Corporation (YKHC) is an Alaska-based, Tribal healthcare organization that coordinates medical travel for Alaskan Native persons in 58 remote communities in southwest Alaska. In 2018, Mphasis Silverline implemented Service Cloud and a Community to process travel requests for patients. The organization has been a Managed Services client ever since, modifying their system to meet the ever changing needs of their patients.
Outgrowing their old property management system
YKHC had a growing need to lodge customers in their region that were traveling to or through the hub city of Bethel for medical care. Their 23-room hostel was no longer large enough, so the organization decided to build a 109-room customer lodge. The search for an appropriate property management system started next. Given a few very unique requirements, the organization quickly realized that they would need a custom solution. Some of their needs included:
- Reservation management
- Housekeeping and maintenance
- Meal card allocations and management
- Multiple billing processes
- Integration with the travel team
- Holistic view of a patient’s travel reservations in one system
“We needed to be able to update our records and edit them as needed,” said Virginia Howard, Director of Travel and Medicaid Services at YKHC. “Our public relations department found Salesforce and brought it to us. We did a demo with Salesforce and then asked for recommendations for a company to help build it for us. Silverline is who they recommended.”
A custom solution to streamline processes
Silverline Mphasis and YKHC worked together to build a custom solution to meet their needs and reduce additional software cost.
Key components of the solution:
- Allow travel staff to directly book reservations for the patient while scheduling additional travel arrangements
- Ability to schedule and manage reservations, housekeeping, maintenance needs
- Custom reservation calendar, providing insight into current and future reservations
- Distribute hotel key cards through integration with Persona Campus
- Integrate with Transact to provide and distribute meal allocation
- Creation of custom billing solution
- Straightforward reporting capabilities and list creation
- Track lost and found items
“Silverline has helped us streamline the request and approval process so now our patients can get their travel in a more timely manner,” said Howard. “Working with Silverline over the past five years, we’ve been able to enhance our travel queue. We have also been able to get other departments within YKHC to have a more seamless process by using Salesforce. We call our patients to confirm their upcoming travel, and now with the click of a button we can reserve their room.”
Improving quality of life for native communities
YKHC opened the Qavartavik Customer Lodge for guests on January 17, 2024. Since opening, the lodge has been booked near capacity every night and has greatly improved their communities’ access to healthcare and quality of life.
Travel and hotel management are combined on one platform, providing a 360-view of each patient. The solution allows the travel team and hotel team to collaborate efficiently. The finance department is integrated and set up to accommodate various billing processes.
“Silverline has helped us build many successful solutions here, and one of my favorite things is that they are always in sync together,” said Howard. Over the past five years, Silverline Mphasis has deepened its appreciation of YKHC’s mission and our partnership with the organization. By truly understanding YKHC’s patient and region, Mphasis Silverline has been able to deliver Salesforce solutions that make a profound impact on the community.
