OrthoWest has announced the expansion of Switchboard, MD’s physician-built AI platform across its orthopedic enterprise, bringing its advanced Contact Center solution to enable smarter call handling and multimodal communication to additional physicians. This decision follows a successful deployment at South County Orthopedic Specialists (SCOS), a division of OrthoWest, where average queue time dropped by 76% and call abandonment rates fell by 58%. Over the past year, Switchboard, MD and SCOS worked closely to tailor Switchboard’s platform to frontline workflows and optimize performance ahead of a broader rollout.
OrthoWest Expands Switchboard, MD’s AI Contact Center Across Enterprise
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The next phase extends Switchboard’s Contact Center solution to teams across scheduling, billing, and surgical coordination, equipping OrthoWest staff with a broader set of tools to manage patient communication more efficiently. Features such as EMR-integrated intake, live transcription and summarization, sentiment analysis, and real-time performance dashboards are now available across the entire enterprise. Patients will experience the benefits through shorter wait times, faster responses, and more flexible communication options, including voice, chat, and SMS.
“We’ve seen a tremendous drop in not only our wait times but also our abandoned call rate.”
“I think at the end of the day, they (Switchboard, MD) created an excellent product that’s easy to plug and play, but at the same time can be customized to the needs of the medical records, the needs of the practice.”
Amar Patel, MD
Hand & Upper Extremity Surgeon at SCOS
Board Member at OrthoWest
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Deployment across additional OrthoWest divisions is already underway, supported by a shared infrastructure that allows for rapid onboarding and minimal disruption to daily operations. The expansion supports OrthoWest’s ongoing investment in intelligent infrastructure, which enables better patient access, streamlined staff workflows, and more resilient scheduling operations.
About OrthoWest
OrthoWest is the premier orthopedic surgical group in Orange County, California, dedicated to providing exceptional musculoskeletal care for patients of all ages. With a team of board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons and a highly skilled multidisciplinary support staff across ten locations, OrthoWest has earned a reputation for innovation, compassion, and outstanding outcomes throughout Southern California.
About Switchboard, MD
Switchboard, MD is a physician-led artificial intelligence and data science company with a mission to prioritize the human connection in medicine. Its platform improves patient engagement and outcomes, while reducing inefficiency and burnout. By designing and deploying clinically relevant products, Switchboard, MD helps providers and operators collaborate more effectively to deliver high-quality experiences for both patients and staff.
SOURCE Switchboard, MD
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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