REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 1, 2010 — Michael Allison was having a difficult time addressing the technological issues that challenged the 12 community-owned clinics he oversees based in Waco, Texas. With an IT staff of only two people and employees operating on independent desktops, Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center was finding it increasingly difficult to prioritize and address the variety of hardware and software improvements that needed to be deployed to keep up with shifts in industry regulations.
The facilities needed a solution that would provide a safe and secure network capable of remotely housing data available to any of the Hillcrest staff across its 12 clinics. In addition, the new infrastructure would include the latest technologies, thus minimizing IT maintenance for daily PC issues and maximizing the attention to maintaining updated electronic health records (EHRs) for all of Hillcrest’s patients.
“There’s a big push on continuity of healthcare records now and it’s really important to us, being partnered with a hospital, that they have access to all the same stuff we [medical clinics] do. We have data sharing going on constantly,” said Allison, IT Administrator for Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center since 2007.
To get this initiative rolling, Allison turned to Justin Roby, owner of Roby Solutions and a Microsoft Certified IT Professional, to install Wyse thin clients using Windows Embedded Standard 2009 software to deliver a consistent application experience across the board. The terminals assisted with scanning insurance data and referral letters, taking patient photographs, and conducting provider audits. Twelve independently operated servers became one as doctors, nurses and other medical staff became connected whether they were at home or at clinics 40 miles away.
Wyse thin clients featuring Windows Embedded Standard 7
“Essentially, we wanted to reduce PC management time,” said Roby. “So much [time] is spent on maintenance and not on improving the environment. The Wyse Thin Client built on Windows Embedded Standard platform from Microsoft, with the right filter, can be set to a very consistent operating state that helps eliminate so many daily PC administration tasks.”
Allison noted the transition for employees was seamless, and the new system proved to be much more efficient and well-received by the majority of staffers. Now electronic health records were consolidated and backed up through a single database, enabling remote users to access data from any clinic for any patient. The focus of the environment shifted to accessibility and added security.
“When this solution was brought to us, it immediately clicked that this made sense for our business,” said Allison. The oft-stretched IT team had less to worry about with the new and improved ecosystem, enabling the clinics to see more patients and witness a high return on their investment.
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