The client was a fast-growing non-profit, faith-rooted healthcare service provider committed to delivering medical, dental, and general health services across South Texas. They have an expansive network of over 40 facilities and are responsible for approximately 800,000 patient encounters annually. Incepted in 1995, the organization experienced significant expansion, growing over a large and diverse geographic area. As a result of the growth, the IT budget had soared from $200,000K to over $70 million per annum, and the rapid growth was imposing considerable demands on the IT department. The team particularly struggled with integrating new clinical systems, securing data collection from multiple clinical locations, and maintaining regulatory compliance. In an effort to bolster their IT capability to meet broad organizational needs and ensure consistent patient care, they solicited CAG for a comprehensive IT evaluation.
Incepted in 1995, the organization has experienced significant expansion, spreading its influence over a diverse geographic area. The budget has soared from a modest $200K to an impressive figure exceeding $70 million. This rapid escalation has imposed considerable demands on their IT department. They grapple with critical challenges concerning integrating new clinical systems, data collection from multiple locations, and regulatory compliance. In a bid to bolster their IT framework to meet the broad organizational needs and ensure consistent patient care, they solicited our professional guidance for a comprehensive IT evaluation.
Our IT assessment comprised interviews with IT personnel and key business and clinical leaders with the intent to understand the current state of IT maturity and the projected direction of clinical expansion and development. In addition to the interviews, CAG supplemented these discussions with documentation review as well as relevant external industry research. The result of the comprehensive analysis was the creation of a custom blueprint and roadmap for the future-state IT. CAG then developed a strategic plan combined with practical recommendations to facilitate the organization's transition to the future state.
The significant transformation project resulted in the implementation of a new scalable cloud-based EHR system as well as a Data Warehouse on AWS. As measured by Net Promotor Scores, customer satisfaction scores increased by 25%, employee retention improved by 10%, and ITIL capability scores increased from 1.7 to 2.8 over two years. The new Infrastructure allows for rapid future growth. The data warehouse solved the problem of secure data capture and has passed Pen Testing for over two years, and the organization successfully passed a HIPAA and PCI audit.
This project underscores the need for adaptable and resilient IT frameworks and systems in healthcare providers, particularly in non-profit organizations. This project is emblematic of the melding of technology and healthcare, ultimately promoting improved patient care continuity and enhancing organizational effectiveness.
ABOUT CAG: CAG is a highly experienced IT consulting firm. With 100+ years of combined technology experience and business acumen, CAG’s team has assessed and helped improve the performance of more than 300 technology organizations and IT departments. By focusing on simple, meaningful, and practical solutions combined with straight-for ward analysis and recommendations, CAG’s team has experience in many regulatory and economic environments with companies and organizations of all sizes. CAG not only offers a deep understanding of IT, but its solutions are software and hardware agnostic. Whether a client is high growth or economically challenged, CAG can adapt to the complexities and nuances of that business. Based in Dallas, Texas; Columbia Advisory Group works extensively with clients throughout the United States. For more information, visit columbiaadvisory.com
