It’s hard enough keeping up with all the changes in the health system without the distractions of managing your IT, data security and inefficient phone systems.
It’s probably time for an internal check-up and it’s worth a phone call to the team at HostUs.
We are familiar with the challenges of running General Practices and can tailor-design and install a hassle-free system to streamline your office processes.
CASE STUDY: ADELAIDE CITY GENERAL PRACTICE
At a glance:
- One location in the Adelaide city area.
- Needed outdated tape-based server system to be replaced and latest applications running for efficiency and external compatibility.
- Needed disaster data recovery to be immediate and infallible and a system that was scalable for growth.
- HostUs provided a replacement in-house system with upgraded software applications.
The results:
- All data and information now stored safely and sharable.
- Latest applications including all licenses.
- The Cisco phone system integrated into the contract.
- A system that will grow with the practice.
- A quieter, cooler working environment.
The Client
Adelaide City General Practice is a general medical practice serving people of all ages in Adelaide area. The practice’s six doctors and three nurses offer a variety of medical services to city residents and visitors.
The Need
The office utilized an onsite server to host their Practice Management Software, amongst other tasks.
The server was running slowly, and backups were being done via tape drive which was susceptible to failure due to aged tapes.
Adelaide City General Practice knew it needed an upgrade and wanted the peace of mind that comes with an efficient and reliable operating system.
In addition, the workstations were not in synch, and used different or outdated versions of common applications, such as Office, meaning there were issues when working with external providers who had more recent applications.
Lastly, cost was an issue, as replicating what they had was going to be expensive and it needed a total re-think.
The Wish List
Better performance was paramount.
In plain terms, the new server would have to be faster. The practice also wanted backups addressed. The tape had to go – it was unwieldy, slow, and not as reliable as the practice would have liked.
Disaster recovery was important, and in the event of an emergency, they needed it to be able to be up and running in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. After all, they need current medical records if they are going to treat a patient, and “server down” is not an option.
The practice was used to an “in house” server environment, and, while open to new ways, this proved to be preferable.
Besides hosting the practice management software, Adelaide City General Practice also wanted all business applications to be on the server and using the latest applications for compatibility with external suppliers. And they wanted whatever system they used to be scalable enough that it gave them options in the years to come.
Our Service
We implemented our flagship cloud server solution, giving them the power of a modern server, yet securely offsite.
We worked extensively with their practice management/clinical software developers to ensure these critical applications worked flawlessly, and setup an extensive trial period to make sure everyone was comfortable. In essence, we first mimicked, then improved upon, exactly what they were used to.
Backups were handled automatically, with disaster recovery being available in a few clicks (they could be where they were last evening almost instantly). We also were able to integrate their Cisco phone system into the support agreement, freeing up additional revenue.
Lastly, all software licenses were part of our service, including all office applications and operating system.
In short, cost efficiency teamed with operating efficiency.
End Result
We met every need the practice had, giving them a robust, fast cloud server solution that didn’t require extensive training, and improved upon every aspect markedly.
The system runs much faster, with far less hiccups. Backups are now seamless, fully automated, and securely offsite, with recovery a few clicks away.
All software is now in one place, and (always) fully up to date. Everyone is on the same page. No more incompatibility issues.
Hardware inputs from HostUs mean more speed, but with less monetary outlay than buying them outright. And everything is fully scalable to the practice’s future needs.
The practice has reported a time-savings as well. Most medical and billing software is robust and comprehensive, making it rather slow on most servers. But we’ve sped the process up to where actual time has been freed up. This has resulted in further savings.
Interesting side benefit: The practice has enjoyed an unexpected benefit. Not having servers in the office has had an effect on the environment. In short, it’s cooler and quieter (servers run hot, and can be noisy).
This has been a pleasant surprise, and, coupled with the better performance at a cost savings, has made Adelaide City General Practice very happy they chose cloud-based hosting and IT from HostUs.
