CASE STUDY: Healthcare IT Overhaul for Community Mental Health Hospital
July 1, 2024Project Overview
John Lynch & Associates partnered with a not-for-profit Community Mental Health Hospital serving Northern Arizona to undertake a comprehensive infrastructure refresh, implement a disaster recovery solution, and prepare for an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system implementation.
Industry: Healthcare
Client Description: The hospital provides a full spectrum of mental health services, ranging from general mental health counseling to inpatient psychiatric care, catering to all age groups from children to adults and families.
Objective
The primary objectives of this healthcare IT project were to:
- Update the hospital’s IT infrastructure to support the new EHR systems.
- Assess the viability of could migration.
- Improve network latency.
- Develop and implement a robust disaster recovery solution.
Challenges
The project faced several significant challenges:
- Aging hardware that could not support modern IT demands.
- Insufficient IT staffing to manage the transition.
- A workplace culture resistant to change, complicating the implementation process.
Solutions Implemented
John Lynch & Associates provided interim CIO leadership to guide the project. Key actions included:
- Establishing regular communication with senior leadership to inform and update on IT challenges and progress.
- Conducting a thorough IT assessment to evaluate current staffing and infrastructure, which informed the design of a new, strategic IT plan.
- Ensuring all departments were aware of the infrastructure refresh plan and its phased implementation schedule.
- Collaborating with leadership to address budget requirements, approval processes, and implementation timelines.
- Project managing the EHR implementation with additional consulting staff to ensure successful deployment.
- Adjusting staffing levels to enhance project management and daily IT support.
- Identifying cost savings by terminating outdated contracts and renegotiating terms for better deals.
- Designing an IT infrastructure that met privacy needs with a hybrid approach, incorporating on-premises servers, private, and public clouds.
- Resolving latency issues through a new network design.
- Fully addressing disaster recovery needs and enhancing security measures.
Results
The project resulted in significant improvements and successful outcomes.
Client Feedback
The client expressed high satisfaction with the outcomes of the projects managed by John Lynch & Associates. Their success led to additional referrals and continued collaboration on subsequent projects, including a new phone system, further EHR optimizations, and additional staff training.
This case study illustrates John Lynch & Associates‘ ability to handle complex healthcare IT challenges, delivering solutions that meet and exceed client expectations.
