Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of this presentation participants will be able to explain how a Provider Management Database (PMDB) and proactive customer service facilitate provider retention.

Background:
When implemented, the VaxTrack PMDB increased private provider participation by more than 600% in the first 18 months. The high volume of enrollments, however, left little time for the intensive follow-up required to achieve consistent registry use by providers. Because retention is critical to registry success, VaxTrack used the PMDB to reassign care calls to support staff and to provide proactive customer service to enrolled providers.

Objectives:
To illustrate how a PMDB combined with proactive customer service increases private provider participation.

Methods:
Although the PMDB's original design included components for provider retention, further enhancements were made to support program needs. The Notes Pages were modified to allow calls assignments to be staff-specific. Weekly Call Sheet reports were designed to enable rapid identification of providers due for routine care calls. Call scripts were developed to provide consistent, detailed information on matters crucial to provider retention. Additional reports were created to provide quality assurance and monitor retention activities.

Results:
During the 2004-2005 fiscal year, VaxTrack received 77 calls about issues critical to provider retention. Five providers wanted to add a new user, 2 wanted to inactivate a user, 11 needed additional registry installations, and 15 requested new user trainings. However, using the PMDB Weekly Call Sheets and customer care calls, VaxTrack identified an additional 51 providers needing to add new users, 34 needing to inactivate users, 32 needing additional registry installations and 41 needing new user training. The combined used of the PMDB and customer care calls increased private provider participation from 26.4% in July 2004 to 40.3% in July 2005.

Conclusions:
When combined with proactive customer service, the PMDB is an excellent tool for increasing provider retention.