A Partnership to Coordinate Efficient IT Expansion

Over the past six decades, Saint John’s Health Center (SJHC) has provided families with quality care in a nurturing, respectful atmosphere that addresses the needs of the entire patient – mind, body and spirit. SJHC is a member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (SCLHS), a nonprofit healthcare organization that operates 11 hospitals, four safety-net clinics, one children’s mental health center and more than 100 ambulatory service centers in Colorado, Kansas, Montana and California.

Over the past six decades, Saint John’s Health Center (SJHC) has provided families with quality care in a nurturing, respectful atmosphere that addresses the needs of the entire patient – mind, body and spirit. SJHC is a member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (SCLHS), a nonprofit healthcare organization that operates 11 hospitals, four safety-net clinics, one children’s mental health center and more than 100 ambulatory service centers in Colorado, Kansas, Montana and California.

“For the past 60 years, Saint John’s has continued the world-class tradition of providing breakthrough medicine in an environment of inspired healing. As a member of the 11-hospital Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, we seek partners whose values closely align with ours. Since 2007, we have collaborated with T2 Tech on multiple strategic IT initiatives, including the construction of our 275,000 square foot Howard Keck Diagnostic and Treatment Center. T2 Tech has proven to be a company of strong character with extensive knowledge in the delivery of IT capabilities aligned to our organization’s operational and clinical objectives.”— Karen Oi, Director of IS, Saint John’s Health Center

The Challenge: Quickly Prepare An IT Plan To Facilitate Expansion

After the 1994 Northridge earthquake severely damaged SJHC facilities, SJHC embarked upon a campaign to design a new, state-of-the-art health center campus. By 2005, the new 125,000-square-foot Chan Soon-Shiong Center for Life was operational, and plans for the 275,000-square-foot Howard Keck Diagnostic and Treatment Center were well under way.

In the midst of this expansion, SJHC leadership became concerned about the state of their current IT environment and its ability to support additional facilities and other long-term objectives. However, they lacked the necessary resources and expertise to quickly assess their IT environment and develop a plan to address their immediate risks as well as support their long-term objectives. Shortly thereafter, SJHC engaged T2 Tech Group ™ because of their excellent track record in managing complex IT initiatives.

Advisory Services

T2 Tech worked with SJHC leadership to develop and implement a new IT organizational structure and staffing plan, and it oversaw the IT planning and transition to the 275,000- square-foot Howard Keck Center.

Electronic Medical Records

T2 Tech worked with SJHC leadership to provide an assessment of IT infrastructure readiness for the proposed Epic EMR implementation.

Data Center

T2 Tech managed the consolidation of two data centers and the implementation of a remote backup site for Radiology PACS clinical imaging.

Network

T2 Tech managed the upgrade of wired/wireless network and WAN infrastructure.

A Comprehensive Assessment Based On Cooperatively Outlined Goals

T2 Tech collaborated with clinical, operational and IT leadership from both SCLHS and SJHC to confirm strategic requirements for their IT environment and perform an assessment and gap analysis. This assessment focused on IT infrastructure readiness, enterprise applications requirements, IT operational processes, IT staffing expertise and IT capital/operational budget projections.

T2 Tech Provides Experienced Personnel And An Actionable Plan For Sustained Growth

After identifying critical gaps in staffing requirements to support their environment, T2 Tech worked with SJHC to develop a new IT staffing model. T2 Tech assisted in filling these roles with permanent, highly skilled individuals. In the interim, T2 Tech provided temporary resources to fill critical positions.

In addition to addressing SJHC’s staffing issues, T2 Tech was tasked with the development and implementation of an IT remediation plan that included an integrated transition timeline for IT infrastructure, enterprise applications and IT operations. These projects were instrumental in achieving the following objectives:

• Consolidated two SJHC data centers and established a remote backup site for Radiology PACS clinical imaging data
• Upgraded enterprise wired and wireless network communications infrastructure
• Upgraded wide area network (WAN) communications infrastructure to better support access of applications and services from the SCLHS data center in Leavenworth, Kansas
• Provided IT planning and transition into the 275,000 sq. ft. Howard Keck Center in 2009
• Collaborated with SCLHS corporate leadership and SJHC IT staff to assess the SJHC IS infrastructure readiness for the proposed Epic Electronic Medical Record (EMR) implementation

About T2 Tech Group

T2 Tech Group specializes in tackling difficult technology challenges and transforming IT liabilities into valuable assets for clients in a range of industries. Since its founding in 2006, T2 Tech has built a reputation for delivering high-quality technology consulting and management advisory services to executives and IT leaders. Unlike many consulting firms, T2 Tech has no financial interest in vendor selection, freeing the company to focus completely on realizing customer goals. At T2 Tech, we advocate for our clients; approach each project with no bias; and practice the highest levels of integrity, experience and expertise. For more information about T2 Tech Group, visit t2techgroup.com and connect with us on Twitter @T2TechGroup.