Coastline Orthopaedic Associates in Southern California was dealing with more calls than their team could handle. Patients were sitting on hold for more than five minutes, and over 300 calls were being abandoned each month. Patients were frustrated, and staff felt maxed out. When Coastline added OhMD’s HIPAA-compliant texting, broadcast messaging, and call-to-text with custom automated workflows, things changed quickly. Abandoned calls dropped by 63%, average wait times were cut almost in half, and scheduling moved faster for everyone.
As Office Manager, Natalie Mckimmey, shared, “The difference was immediate. Patients stopped hanging up, wait times dropped, and things became much more manageable for our team.”
“Wait times were cut almost in half. Patients are happier, and my staff isn’t as stressed.”
About Coastline Orthopaedic Associates
For more than 30 years, Coastline Orthopaedic Associates has cared for patients across Orange County. The team provides everything from joint replacements and sports medicine to spine surgery and fracture care. The Coastline team — from surgeons to physician assistants to support staff — treats patients across the spectrum, from athletes with sports injuries to older adults managing long-term orthopedic conditions.
The Challenge
Before using OhMD, Coastline’s call center ran into the same problems every day.
Abandoned calls – Patients often hung up after long hold times, which meant missed appointments and poor access to care. For the average practice, this can result in thousands of dollars lost, daily.
High average wait times – Calls were averaging more than five minutes in queue. Specialty practices often report average patient wait times of 5–10 minutes.
Staff overwhelmed – Call center staff spent hours on repetitive scheduling tasks. These types of tasks typically take about 8 minutes each and can add up to 2.5 hours per provider per day.
Patient frustration – Reaching the office was sometimes challenging, with staff feeling the challenge of high call volume. Studies show that when patients encounter negative phone experiences, they are 4x more likely to consider switching providers.
The Solution
Coastline deployed OhMD across its call center with three key capabilities:
Call Deflection to Text – Patients calling the practice were offered the option to switch to text. With one tap, they entered an automated text workflow instead of waiting on hold.
Custom Automated Text Workflows – Patients texting in looking for appointments, refills and other common requests were able to have fully automated conversations, completely qualifying their need before practice staff were required to assist.
Two-Way HIPAA-Compliant Texting + Broadcast Messaging – Staff could manage incoming requests, triage conversations to the right team, and reach patients quickly with broadcast updates.
This approach allowed Coastline to handle the same call volume more efficiently without adding staff.
As Mckimmey explained, “OhMD is a big help with our call center. We’re streamlining our operations and able to get through more calls.”
Frequently Asked Questions on Reducing Call Abandonment and Wait Times
Question
Answer
Do patients prefer texting over calling a doctor’s office?
Yes. Coastline Orthopaedics saw thousands of patients switch from phone calls to text conversations in the first month of using OhMD, showing they’d rather text than wait on hold. Recent studies have shown that over 60% of patients prefer text conversations.
How can a clinic reduce call abandonment rate?
By using OhMD’s call deflection to text message option, Coastline Orthopaedics cut abandoned calls by over 60% in a month.
What is the impact of long phone wait times in a medical practice?
Studies show 60% of patients will hang up if they have to wait on hold for too long, and about 85% never call back — that can mean up to $45,000 per day in revenue lost. Coastline Orthopaedics cut their average hold time in half, from 3 minutes to 1.5 minutes.
Does text messaging increase call center efficiency?
Yes. At Coastline Orthopaedics, staff answered a higher percentage of calls, and routine requests shifted to text. Patients who preferred a call were able to do so at a higher percentage with the practice’s use of OhMD.
How quickly should patients get responses by text?
At Coastline Orthopaedics, more than half of incoming texts were answered in under a minute, and nearly 90% within 30 minutes.
The Results
Within the first month of fully using OhMD, Coastline reported major improvements:
Texting took off fast – thousands of patients started using it right away, showing they preferred the option over sitting on hold.
More calls were answered as staff time was freed up.
Average hold time was cut nearly in half.
Response times improved with over 50% of patients responded to in under one minute.
Call abandonment dropped as six out of ten patients who previously gave up while on hold were now connecting with staff by call or text.
The Impact
The call center, once challenged by high call volume, is now one of the most efficient parts of patient access for Coastline Orthopaedics Associates. Patients reach the practice faster, staff resolve requests more efficiently, and phone abandonment is no longer draining revenue potential.
Staff handle more patient requests in less time.
Patients avoid long hold times and get scheduling done through a familiar, convenient texting channel.
Practice leaders could clearly see the return – patients were getting through more easily, and the staff workload was lighter.
As Natalie Mckimmey emphasized: “Our call center is finally manageable. OhMD gave us a way to serve patients faster without hiring more staff.”
Download the case study
See the impact of OhMD on Coastline Orthopaedic’s call abandonment rate and staff efficiency.
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