Arc Solutions has entered into a new partnership with Extension, to provide an integrated communications solution for the healthcare sector. The partnership is expected to deliver a powerful range of solutions that solve workflow and collaboration challenges across healthcare organisations.

The companies said that using HL-7 protocol, real time patient and staff contact and presence status information can now be shared across Arc, Extension, and a host of other software applications. One key advantage is that healthcare receptionists and telephone attendants can have rich, accurate information relating to patients and medical staff at their fingertips, via the Arc attendant operator console.

Richard Betts, president of Arc Solutions, said: We are delighted to be working with a company that has vast experience in this extremely specialised field, and who fully understands the complex needs of the healthcare sector. This strategic relationship brings together the power of a collaborative software solution from Arc, Cisco and Extension, and ensures that patients are provided the best possible service, and staff have the collaboration tools at their disposal to do the best job possible.

Todd Plesko, CEO at Extension, said: Working with Arc has opened up even more opportunities for us, in expanding our healthcare proposition to include call answering positions within clinical institutions. The combination of our healthcare focus and Cisco call handling technology from Arc, provides customers with an extremely powerful tool that will increase communications efficiency, save time and ultimately further improves patient care.