structured - case studies

Case StudiesHealthcare ServicesMid-Columbia Medical Center
Project Name: New VoIP Infrastructure and Building a Converged Network Mid-Columbia Medical Center (MCMC), (www.mcmc.net) is the first hospital in the world to implement the Planetree concept of patient-centered care facility wide. Planetree is a non-profit membership organization working with hospitals and healthcare centers to develop and implement patient-centered care in healing environments. MCMC has 16 locations in The Dalles, OR., with one hospital and 15 primary care physician offices. MCMC has converted into a one-of-a-kind center of healing, and provides a different environment than most people expect from a hospital. MCMC is equipped with the latest technologies for diagnosis, healing and a comprehensive option of traditional hospital services and programs. It has adopted a broad definition of health intended to address the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual environment. Additionally, the hospital provides a center for healing which will continually upgrade the quality of life in the community environment.

Business IssuesMCMC had disparity between differing systems at various locations. With several different telephone systems throughout 16 locations, there was a lack of cohesiveness and compatibility. Managing the different phone systems became time-consuming and inefficient. Another issue pertained to the cost of maintaining the differing systems. Management of the systems required additional man hours in addition to the expense involved with administering a legacy system, which provided no added value. The cost, time, lack of flexibility and upgrade opportunities were all key factors in MCMC’s motivation to pursue a new phone system. “We envision in five to seven years, we don’t want to have an old technology; we want a system that will give us an opportunity to grow,” said Erick Larson, CIO at Mid-Columbia Medical Center.

Solutions and Implementation ProcessIn 2001, MCMC upgraded their infrastructure by running dark fiber to all facilities and set the stage for deploying a converged networks solution. MCMC’s Information Technology Department wanted to implement the new phone system on the newly upgraded network because they had brought fiber through all their remote sites. Early on, MCMC made the decision to invest in building an infrastructure that could support future technologies coming over the horizon. The project was sent out for an RFP and received a significant response from 14 different resellers. Once MCMC narrowed the potential candidates down to three resellers, Jim Crossley and Gene Maynor from Structured conducted an onsite ShoreTel demonstration at MCMC. After carefully viewing the demonstration, they selected Structured as the solutions provider, and ShoreTel as the technology manufacturer, specifically for the solution’s ease of use and management, feature robustness, and workgroup capabilities. The selection was based on the technology MCMC was looking for, and the value they placed on the relationship they built with Jim and Gene throughout the two-year process. MCMC fostered a relationship with Structured and was treated with care and respect.

"We want to be a self managed shop, and not have to depend on a vendor to do our infrastructure built-outs, expansion and moves. That is why we chose the simplicity of the ShoreTel system," said Annali Cross, Telecommunication Specialist at Mid-Columbia Medical Center. They wanted the system to be easily manageable and to work for them, not against them.

They are estimating a five-month time frame for the implementation process for all 16 sites. The process started in late March 2008 and will be complete in September 2008. All 15 primary care physician offices will be completed initially, and the hospital will be the last deployment.

Why we chose StructuredThey understand the importance of hiring a trusted technology solutions provider that can deliver local sales, support and engineering resources. MCMC chose Structured because of the relationship they built and the experience they had. The technical abilities and the various areas of expertise that Structured provided were very attractive. MCMC appreciated the fact that Structured was straightforward, down-to-earth, and didn’t make a whole lot of empty promises like other companies out there. "We thought they were very honest with their approach and told us what works and what doesn’t work. The enthusiasm and the energy level we got from Jim and Gene were incredible. We had a few groups that came to Mid-Columbia Medical Center to demonstrate their products, and the biggest thing that stuck out of all the vendors was Gene Maynor’s passion for what he was doing. It was indelible in people’s minds, the sheer passion that Mr. Maynor had for what he was sharing with us. Everyone still comments on that today," said Erick Larson.

Structured is a complete solutions provider in the areas of information security, voice and data networking, storage, systems and managed services. Since 1992, they are committed to helping organizations manage the integrity of their business critical information. They help their clients establish and maintain the right balance of information security and availability.

Structured integrates best-of-class solutions, expert professional services, combined with people-oriented customer service to exceed customer expectations with solutions that succeed. The company is based in Portland, Oregon with additional offices in Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, and Washington.

Key BenefitsThe overall factor pertains to cost savings. They no longer have to pay maintenance and repair costs for the old phone system. Hospitals are always moving, growing, or expanding; in the future, MCMC may build another hospital building, so the ability to adapt to growth is also a key factor.