Industry
Health System
Challenge
A regional healthcare organization operating five hospitals and 200+ clinics and using Epic faced rising service desk call volumes that strained internal IT resources and delayed issue resolution. Many incoming tickets were tied to clinical workflows, but frontline IT staff lacked the specialized knowledge needed to quickly troubleshoot within Epic. This led to longer handle times, repeat calls, and frustration among clinicians who relied on timely system support. As patient care environments grew more complex, the organization needed a more efficient, knowledgeable support model.
Results
Within months of implementing CereCore’s clinical service desk solution, the organization achieved 58% first level resolutions, significantly easing the burden on internal IT teams. Improved first-call resolution and reduced escalations led to $370,000 in cost savings, driven by greater efficiency and fewer repeat interactions. Clinician satisfaction increased as issues were resolved faster by agents who understood their day-to-day workflows. Overall, the healthcare system experienced smoother operations and better alignment between IT support and clinical care delivery.
Services Provided
Clinical Help Desk, Epic
About the Provider
A regional healthcare organization operating five hospitals and 200+ clinics.How We Helped: Capacity that Made Expert Level Support and Innovation Possible
CereCore implemented a dedicated service desk support model staffed with agents trained in both Epic and clinical workflows. These agents understood how providers, nurses, and administrative staff interact with the system, enabling faster and more accurate issue resolution. The firm also introduced call deflection strategies, knowledge base improvements, and workflow-specific support protocols to reduce unnecessary escalations. Continuous training and performance monitoring ensure consistent service quality and alignment with the healthcare organization’s needs.
Tracking the ROI: Ticket Triage Made the Difference
Ticket triage was key to CereCore’s approach to the most cost-effective resolutions for this organization. Tickets resolved by CereCore resources were clearly Level 1 issues that did not require advanced Epic knowledge.
Examples included:
- Hardware issues such as problems with printers that require hardware troubleshooting skills more often than knowledge of Epic.
- Basic break/fix needs such as provisioning Cash Drawers which allow clinic employees to accept payments. We worked with the organization’s clinical teams to provision appropriate access, understand their processes and governance, and created service-specific knowledge articles so we could provide faster resolutions in the event of cash drawer issues.
- Epic testing and scheduling requirements and other maintenance support such as Schedule Epic Resources (SER) that was offloaded to CereCore analysts.
- Epic onsite support that is ramped up or scaled back to support go-lives or other situations that increase the need for Epic support without increasing your internal headcount.
The success of this initiative was driven by aligning technical support with real-world clinical usage of Epic. By embedding workflow-aware agents into the service desk, CereCore reduced friction between end users and support teams, minimizing miscommunication and unnecessary troubleshooting steps. Proactive identification of common issues allowed the team to build targeted knowledge resources and prevent recurring problems. Over time, this approach not only lowered call volume but also created a more scalable, cost-effective support structure that could adapt as the healthcare organization grew.
How it Works: Daily Efficiency that Also Enables Focus on Special Projects
Organizations depend on a finite number of HIT professionals for the skills they need, and those skilled professionals are difficult to locate and to retain. Continuity of service becomes an issue as does mounting technical debt. Mitigate issues like these with a partner for Level 1 service desk support to augment your staff during peak times such as go-live or for demanding projects such as application rationalization. The additional professionals you enlist can temporarily or permanently increase the capacity for your team by performing the innovative work or by “keeping the lights on” while your resident team innovates.
Cost Per Call: With and Without a Partner for Epic Support
Results
After implementing CereCore’s clinical service desk, the health system resolved 58% of issues at Level 1, reduced IT burden, saved $370K, and improved clinician satisfaction through faster, more informed support.
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