UC Irvine Health (UCI Health) has successfully migrated its patient call centers to the cloud—a major milestone in modernizing patient interactions, enhancing security, and improving efficiency. Led by Jim Davis, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of UCI Health, the transition marks more than just a technical upgrade; it represents a fundamental shift in how technology supports healthcare operations. Now, one year after the February 2023 go-live, Davis shares insights into the journey and its broader impact.
Why Move Patient Call Centers to the Cloud?
The decision to transition UCI Health’s on-premise call center system to the cloud was driven by the need for:
✅ Greater efficiency – Reducing wait times and automating routine tasks.
✅ Enhanced security – Ensuring patient data is encrypted and compliant with evolving privacy and security standards.
✅ Scalability – Supporting UCI Health’s rapid growth and standardization.
Partnering with Genesys, a leader in Gartner’s rankings, Davis and his team worked closely with systemwide CTOs, patient access teams, and nurse triage teams to ensure a smooth migration.
Enhancing the Patient Experience
For patients, the new cloud-based system offers a seamless, more personalized experience:
- Smarter call routing – Calls are directed based on voice recognition, call history, and patient needs, significantly improving patient experience and call center employee efforts.
- Stronger security – All transactions are fully encrypted and compliant with healthcare regulations.
“Patient data security is critical. We’re ensuring that every transaction is encrypted and meets compliance standards.”
Jim Davis, CTO, UCI Health
Institutional Benefits: Efficiency and Cost Savings
Beyond technical improvements, the cloud migration has transformed how UCI Health manages its call center operations. Davis highlights the business-led approach, where business units now have greater autonomy, rather than relying solely on IT Services.
Key benefits include:
✅ Self-sufficient business teams – Units can modify the platform without IT intervention.
✅ Flexible access via Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) – Staff can access the system from any device, whether in-office or remote.
✅ Reduced IT maintenance costs – Updates are applied instantly, cutting downtime.
“This is not just an IT platform—it’s an enterprise solution,” Davis explains.
Supporting Expansion and Standardization
UCI Health has nearly tripled its bed capacity from 460 to 1,300 in the past year, with the acquisition of four new hospitals and associated outpatient clinics. Standardizing processes and integrating new facilities not only enhances quality but also drives cost savings.
“We’re transforming these sites to our standards,” says Davis. “This isn’t just expansion—it’s about delivering consistent, high-quality care across the system.”
Management Strategies for Success
Davis attributes the project’s success to key management techniques:
✔ Empowering business units – Encouraging ownership of technology adoption.
✔ Systemwide collaboration – Partnering with CTOs, Procurement, and specialized IT teams.
✔ Reskilling employees – Redirecting IT resources to higher-value work as automation replaces manual tasks.
Cross-Campus Collaboration Drives Vendor Selection
One of the major success factors was the UC Health CTO Group, led by Mike Kilpatrick, Technology Program Director at UC, which played a pivotal role in sharing best practices and negotiating cost-saving contracts.
✔ CTOs from different campuses share insights to identify top-performing vendors.
✔ When one campus adopts a successful solution, others can leverage the contract for scalability and efficiency.
We share what’s working across our campuses. If one of us finds a solution that improves efficiency, we scale it across the system.
Mike Kilpatrick, Technology Program director, UC Systemwide Procurement
AI’s Role in Healthcare Call Centers
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in optimizing patient call center operations. UCI Health closely evaluates AI-driven tools before implementation, ensuring they meet compliance and privacy standards.
Key AI-driven improvements:
🗣 Voice recognition – Enhances call routing and reduces wait times.
📑 AI-powered note summarization – Cuts administrative workload for staff.
📊 Machine learning for predictive analytics – Integrates call data with patient medical records (MRNs) to improve responsiveness.
For us, it’s not about building AI from scratch. It’s about partnering with vendors who already have AI embedded in their platforms.
Jim Davis, CTO, UCI Health
A Model for the Future: The UC Health “Family”
UCI Health’s cloud migration serves as a model for other healthcare institutions looking to modernize their IT infrastructure. By leveraging:
✔ Strategic partnerships
✔ Cutting-edge technology
✔ AI-driven solutions
…the system now provides a scalable, secure, and efficient foundation for enhancing both patient care and institutional operations.
What’s Next? Upcoming Technology Trends in UC Health
🔹 Continued expansion & standardization across newly integrated hospitals.
🔹 Less hardware, fewer on-premise data centers, and more cloud-based services.
🔹 Advanced data analytics – Using UC’s data warehouse to improve disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Davis sees standardization and data-driven care as the future of UC Health:
The beauty of standardization is that it allows us to provide individualized care at scale—using data to serve the diverse and intricate needs of our patients.
Jim Davis, CTO, UCI Health
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Every year, Genesys orchestrates billions of remarkable customer experiences for organizations in more than 100 countries. Through the power of their cloud, digital and AI technologies, organizations can realize Experience as a Service, the vision for empathetic customer experiences at scale. With Genesys, organizations have the power to deliver proactive, predictive, and hyper personalized experiences to deepen their customer connection across every marketing, sales, and service moment on any channel, while also improving employee productivity and engagement. By transforming back-office technology to a modern revenue velocity engine, Genesys enables true intimacy at scale to foster customer trust and loyalty.