Dallas Medical Center - Acute-care hospital upgrades IT network rapidly and cost-effectively with Allied Telesis healthcare network solutions and ...
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Success Story Dallas Medical Center Acute-care hospital upgrades IT network rapidly and cost-effectively with Allied Telesis healthcare network solutions and ongoing services
Patient care, an efficient staff and effective
healthcare operations make a medical
business. Reliable network operations to
support those efforts is Allied Telesis’ business.
Originally built in 1973, RHD Memorial Medical Center had languished in
Allied Telesis and terms of both public perception and the overall efficiency of its operation.
Dallas Medical A full-service, 155-bed acute-care hospital, it had enjoyed the support of
the community and a dedicated staff of employees, but many physicians felt
Center focused unsupported by hospital management and many were severing their ties with
on their core the facility.
competencies to
When Physicians Synergy Group (PSG) took over the operations of RHD
improve healthcare.
Medical Center in early 2010, they were losing money, patient satisfaction was
at an all-time low and employee morale was even lower. The four professional
medical buildings on their ten-acre Dallas campus were nearly deserted. The
new executive team knew it would have to make many changes to return the
Center to profitability and that these changes would have to happen quickly.
An experienced, bold leadership team from PSG and a commitment from
top management to upgrade and use newer technology — along with a team
approach to offer the best value and experience to both the staff and patient —
was the major focus from day one. One of the first and biggest changes was the
introduction of the new facility name and brand: Dallas Medical Center (DMC).
Not unlike many hospitals today, the medical center had inherited an expensive
and outdated legacy IT network infrastructure that was not well integrated
and was draining more than 11% a month from an already tight budget. The
system needed a major overhaul to ensure its ongoing reliability and critical
24/7 performance and availability. Compounding the issue were the Federal
Meaningful Use requirements and the lack of basic systems, such as PACS and
pharmacology, that all needed to be working and compliant and would involve
making an even larger investment to support.
2 | Allied Telesis Success Story
Fast forward 3 months:
the impossible happened.
The DMC team was able to replace their outdated technology Following is some perspective and insight from key players
and network, outsource the network management and at Dallas Medical Center and Allied Telesis, who were
add new, integrated systems, including an EMR/EHR, PACS, instrumental in installing this high-value network and managed
pharmacology, OR scheduling, automated back-up and a HIS service plan that continues to deliver tremendous productivity
system that simplified admitting new patients. gains for Dallas Medical Center at less than 3% operating cost.
Dallas Medical Center today is viewed by the community as
a leading, full-service, acute medical facility at the forefront of
health and patient care. It is profitable, and employee morale
and patient satisfaction is rising. The IT spend is now under 3%
and offers many more services.
Regarded as one of the best surgical centers in the area,
the 150-bed Dallas Medical Center provides in-patient and
outpatient surgery, 24-hour emergency care, diagnostic
radiology and laboratory, internal medicine and family practice.
The professional campus no longer resembles a ghost town, and
is connected to the overall hospital infrastructure.
The team at Dallas Medical is not done yet and remains focused
on its core competencies — leveraging new governmental
healthcare initiatives, investigating new technology to provide
better healthcare, enhancing the patient experience and
continuing to offer best-of-class services — while remaining
profitable. Dallas Medical Center knows that its new network
implementation was a key component to its short- term
and long-term growth and success, and is looking at ways to
monetize it to eventually offer Triple Play services to its patients
and access to patient information by physicians and staff at a
patient’s bedside. DMC believes the network should “just be
there” and work like any utility service.
Dallas Medical Center | 3
When I joined Dallas Medical Center back in 2009, The implementation process went smoothly, as Allied Telesis
we were behind the eight ball in our technical and did all the heavy work and systems checks in advance. There
network capabilities. The facility had a legacy system in place was one minor issue with a switch, but since Allied Telesis had
with a limiting backbone, and a vendor contract that had no supplied that piece of equipment, there was a replacement in
growth path and made equipment repairs and upgrades cost place within hours. Previously, it would have taken days to fix
prohibitive. the switch, resulting in productivity and monetary losses.
I knew we had to take a different course if Dallas Medical We now have a lot fewer calls to the helpdesk, and everyone is
Center wanted to stay competitive as a leading healthcare working with faster connections and less overloaded systems.
facility. We needed a reliable, secure network that was highly The staff at Dallas Medical Center is able to work more
scalable for growth, but not held hostage to high operating and efficiently and be more productive in their roles.
maintenance costs.
Having such a proactive and trusted partner as Allied Telesis has
We put out an RFP and met with several leading hardware and helped me be more forward-thinking in my job function. I know
wireless vendors as well as our current vendor. However, after that I am working with smart people and good equipment. I am
we met with the Allied Telesis team — who fully understood not bogged down with the day-to-day troubleshooting, which
our challenges and were committed to helping us — we have gives me more time to plan for Dallas Medical Center’s future
never looked back. and help keep it at the forefront of healthcare initiatives.
From a service and cost perspective, Allied Telesis offered the I can now focus on what we do best: provide high quality
best solution. They were able to provide the whole package, patient care. Dallas Medical Center is operating with a stable,
including the ability to work with our existing equipment, mission-critical network and has an excellent, 24/7 support
upgrade the backbone, supply any new equipment needed and team to ensure that there is minimal downtime.
manage the network.
When patient care and well-being is your business, you can’t
So far it has been an unbelievably good relationship. Allied afford to have an ill-fitting network. I am looking forward to a
Telesis is very proactive and helps provide another set of IT long partnership with Allied Telesis and exploring more options
eyes, so there is a great ITIL-based plan of implementation, and capabilities.
evaluatation, maintenance and change management, as well
as a simple check and balance system. The Allied Telesis team
troubleshoots problems before they become unruly and Jack Medford
disruptive to our business. IS Director, Dallas Medical Center
4 | Allied Telesis Success Story
I have been in the technology business for more than 25 years, and this engagement with Dallas Medical Center has been one
of the most aggressive, interesting and rewarding experiences for me. I’ve talked about “return on investment” for years, but this
is the first time I witnessed it firsthand as I saw the hospital parking lot become increasingly more crowded and the culture of
the staff change to more of a family atmosphere — basically overnight!
At the end of three months, I looked back and asked, “Did we really do all that?” It’s a testament to Raji Kumar’s leadership
and Jack Medford’s industry experience and expertise. Jack is the real hero in my opinion — in the middle of this project, he
and his wife gave birth to a baby girl!
Alphie Kilgus
Regional Sales Manager, Allied Telesis
When Allied Telesis first met with Dallas Medical Center, their Once Allied Telesis entered into agreement with Dallas Medical
current network service contractor had them in a stronghold. Center, it put extra care into the implementation plan, since it
It was a very expensive platform and offered no plans for was critical for DMC as a healthcare facility to have minimal to
improvement, and no flexibility to make changes. no network downtime.
After a walk-through of their existing network and an The implementation, and now on-going network management,
extensive audit, it was decided that the best course of action is a true team effort. No one works in a vacuum — there is
was for Allied Telesis to provide a network upgrade and incredible trust and communication. Allied Telesis operates as
managed services package, utilizing as much of DMC’s existing a virtual extension of the DMC staff and is constantly bouncing
infrastructure as possible to minimize additional cost. ideas off of one another, looking for ways to make things better.
The company was able to add dual-function boxes that would The bottom line: Allied Telesis was able to help Dallas Medical
give DMC both data and video functionality. Allied Telesis Center save money on their operating costs, while at the same
designs and builds much of the equipment that it installs, which time giving them a robust network with minimal risk. This
gives it an operational edge. Allied Telesis is strong in video, allowed the DMC IT team to focus on their core strengths and
where industry demand is headed — something not many grow their business.
other vendors can claim.
Dallas Medical Center | 5
At Allied Telesis, when we enter an engagement, we ask: “How can we
reduce cost, save time and add business value?”
Todd Trenasty
Vice President, North America
Network Service Provider Sales, Allied Telesis
Dallas Medical Center was in need of a complete turnaround. Allied Telesis implemented a three-pronged approach: helping
Their technology and network infrastructure was far behind DMC recover from what the previous vendor had installed
what was required to keep up with the delivery of quality care. by keeping the equipment that worked and replacing what
Their current vendor was not meeting their needs for a fully- didn’t with better capabilities; developing a management plan
managed network. to sustain the network and keep all the wheels running; and
then creating a network enterprise that allows them to grow
Allied Telesis was able to provide a lower cost solution that and focus on areas that offer huge value to their patients and
delivered a much more capable network than what they could business.
install or operate on their own.
With Dallas Medical Center, Allied Telesis created a symbiotic
contract keeping their business objectives front and center,
designing a network installation and managed service plan with
higher performance and lower operational costs.
We worked hard to win Dallas Medical Center’s business,
and we work harder every day to maintain their trust and
demonstrate our value throughout the organization.
Todd Trenasty
Vice President, North America
Network Service Provider Sales, Allied Telesis
6 | Allied Telesis Success StoryFor a number of years, DMC had a networking service contract Allied Telesis came in with a fresh way of thinking about the
with a well-known vendor that was very costly, but did not offer network. Having success in the security and entertainment
the service or capabilities that were needed to grow as a leading fields, they were able to adopt what worked well in those
healthcare provider. With the healthcare landscape changing industries and apply it to the particular needs of Dallas Medical
so much, DMC knew that this project was complex and that it Center.
couldn’t afford the consequences of it not being done right.
Allied Telesis by far offered us the best
solutions at the right price point. They
were able to change the IT infrastructure and
add monitoring and back-up services. It wasn’t
just a stopgap plan, but took into account
future needs and opportunities for growth.
They also provided thorough planning and
implementation. The new network was
installed within 48 hours, and our day-to-day
operation was not interrupted or affected
during the transition.
The Allied Telesis networking solutions
provided for a far superior clinical, hospital,
patient and workflow experience for our
entire facility. They are a great partnership for
Dallas Medical Center.
Raji Kumar
CEO, Dallas Medical Center
Dallas Medical Center | 7About Allied Telesis, Inc. Founded in Japan in 1987 and with offices worldwide, Allied Telesis is a leading provider of networking infrastructure and flexible, interoperable network solutions. The company provides reliable video, voice and data network solutions to clients in multiple markets including government, healthcare, defense, education, retail, hospitality and network service providers. Allied Telesis is committed to innovating the way in which services and applications are delivered and managed, resulting in increased value and lower operating costs. Visit us online at alliedtelesis.com. North America Headquarters | 19800 North Creek Parkway | Suite 100 | Bothell | WA 98011 | USA | T: +1 800 424 4284 | F: +1 425 481 3895 Asia-Pacific Headquarters | 11 Tai Seng Link | Singapore | 534182 | T: +65 6383 3832 | F: +65 6383 3830 EMEA & CSA Operations | Incheonweg 7 | 1437 EK Rozenburg | The Netherlands | T: +31 20 7950020 | F: +31 20 7950021 alliedtelesis.com © 2013 Allied Telesis, Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. All company names, logos, and product designs that are trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. US4853
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