An IT Transformation to Support Future Growth

Comanche County Memorial Hospital (CCMH) is an independent, non-profit, acute care facility that prides itself on putting patients first and providing award-winning care. In 1951, Comanche County Memorial Hospital first opened its doors, making comprehensive healthcare available to all in Southwest Oklahoma. Today, CCMH is a 283-bed regional referral center and integrated delivery system providing patient-focused, state-of-the-art care and treatment in virtually every area of specialty.

“Investing in IT initiatives became paramount to maintain our leadership position and better serve the community. To facilitate the expansion of our healthcare facilities and provider network, we engaged T2 Tech to assess, architect and implement the IT infrastructure. Their expertise in healthcare IT has made them a valuable partner and trusted advisor.”— James Wellman, Chief Information Officer, Comanche County Memorial Hospital

The Challenge: Efficiently Facilitating IT Scalability For Future Growth

CCMH made a decision to embark upon a major strategic initiative to expand their existing provider network. Due to a lack of internal resources, their IT infrastructure was in need of a significant overhaul to provide a foundation for future growth and investments in mission critical systems. At the same time, the organization’s fiscal constraints limited their options. In 2011, CCMH partnered with T2 Tech Group™ to assess their existing IT infrastructure, develop an updated technology design and operational framework, and execute an implementation plan that worked within their financial limitations.

Vendor Negotiation

T2 Tech negotiated savings of $1.35 million on storage and network solutions and reached an innovative agreement with vendors to purchase additional capacity incrementally.

Operations Management

T2 Tech’s Agile-based project management methodology increased productivity of limited CCMH resources and balanced operational and project-based responsibilities to meet pressing deadlines.

Storage & Backup

T2 Tech oversaw the implementation of EMC VNX storage and Avamar back-up solutions that resulted in a fourfold increase in storage and back-up capability, and an off-site tape silo solution for disaster recovery.

Network

T2 Tech oversaw the implementation of a Brocade MLX series network solution that resulted in a tenfold increase in network capacity and redundant architecture to support enterprise server and network communications services.

Data Center

T2 Tech refurbished components of CCMH’s enterprise data center, including rack facilities, power, HVAC, cabling and enterprise server network.

T2 Tech Coordinates Defined Objectives With Implementation

T2 Tech first collaborated with the CCMH Executive Team to define their organizational objectives and IT requirements. T2 Tech then performed a comprehensive evaluation of the hospital’s IT infrastructure. The resulting gap analysis and implementation plan included an IT infrastructure blueprint, a system design, a projected timeline and an estimated budget to align their IT capability with their strategic objectives. Once approved, T2 Tech proceeded with a phased implementation plan to first address urgent storage/backup issues and critical data center, server and network requirements for their 2013 electronic health record (EHR) transition. Concurrently, T2 Tech worked with the CCMH Executive Team to improve management/operational processes, increase employee productivity and efficiently allocate additional project-based responsibilities.

Procuring The Right Systems To Feasibly Support Expansion

T2 Tech solicited and evaluated the offerings of vendors and value added resellers (VARs) for network and storage/back-up solutions that met CCMH’s design considerations, financial limitations and ongoing support requirements. After significant vendor negotiations, T2 Tech presented CCMH with multiple purchase options using both a traditional capitalization model and a service-based acquisition model. The service-based acquisition model enabled CCMH to purchase network ports and storage capacity incrementally as a service, and it guaranteed market competitive pricing for future capacity needs.

This approach allowed CCMH to procure the necessary systems that laid the groundwork to support the expansion of their provider network. This project involved a complex IT infrastructure migration process with the following components:

A Brocade MLX series network, EMC VNX storage and an Avamar back-up system.
Upgraded data center and network communications facilities, including power, HVAC, and cabling.
Documentation of the new IT infrastructure environment.
T2 Tech’s competitive bidding process and creative approach to system acquisition, resulted in cost savings of $1.35 million on EMC storage and Brocade network solutions. At the same time, T2 Tech negotiated

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.