In these busy times, who couldn’t use a little simplicity? That’s the wish for many in the healthcare IT world as mergers, federal mandates and cyberthreats pose challenges for administrators.
For Luminis Health — which recently deployed a software-defined enterprise cloud solution that marries storage, compute, virtualization and networking capabilities in a centrally managed hyperconverged infrastructure — big improvements have resulted.
Consolidating to fewer IT systems has allowed the Maryland-based health system to redirect staff resources, reduce system downtime, and save money by cutting vendor, licensing and even utility costs. Taken together, the fruits of this effort provide “the ability to do more with less,” says Ronald Nolte, associate CIO of Anne Arundel Medical Center, which became part of the Luminis network last year.
One-quarter of healthcare leaders view industry consolidation as the most significant trend, marking the largest share of responses in a 2019 Definitive Healthcare survey. It’s why leveraging resources and streamlining systems for efficiency and safety across all facilities are critical.
Software-Defined Networking Can Improve Network Visibility
The approach also benefits businesses facing internal growth: Proliance Surgeons in Washington state is using software-defined networking to gain visibility and control over its fast-expanding family of clinics, an effort aimed at improving care.
By separating network management from the underlying network hardware of routers and switches, Proliance administrators have gained simple, centralized management as well as greater speed and flexibility to plan for future needs. “We’re able to actually monitor and redirect the traffic in a very efficient way that we never could with a traditional network,” says CIO Kurt Kwak.
With strong planning and continuous review, these and other projects can lessen the complexities of longtime challenges that stand in the way of good health and great service. Achieving those goals can help everyone breathe easier.
