Industry
Rural Health
Challenge
Mary Rutan Health felt they were not getting the expected value from their IT support partner, and they wanted to help their IT team focus on strategic work. Dissatisfied with their previous help desk vendor because they logged incidents but didn't provide first call resolution, they were looking for a managed IT services partner that offered higher quality help desk services and an IT service management (ITSM) tool. Later, they needed help optimizing registration and revenue cycle processes within their EHR.
Results
By outsourcing Level 1 support to CereCore and implementing the FreshService ITSM platform, Mary Rutan Health successfully transformed its support environment. The transition allowed the internal IT team to "shift left" routine tasks, restoring work-life balance and allowing them to focus on high-value projects. The organization saw immediate service level improvements, including a 65% first-call resolution rate and a 30-second average speed to answer, providing the internal team with complete confidence in their help desk's ability to serve clinicians and patients.
Services Provided
IT Help Desk, MEDITECH, Managed IT Services, EHR Optimization
About the Provider
Mary Rutan Health is a not-for-profit healthcare organization providing comprehensive and integrated inpatient, outpatient and community services to a five-county region in rural Ohio. With a commitment to excellence, they leverage advanced technology to provide high-quality care to their rural patient population.Restoring Focus and Work-Life Balance to Local IT Teams
The partnership began with a clear goal: improve service quality while allowing the Mary Rutan Health IT team to focus on strategic initiatives. Before, the internal staff was bogged down by routine support issues that their previous vendor couldn't resolve.
By implementing Level 1 help desk and patient portal support, the organization was able to "shift left" approximately 5% of overall call volume from the internal application team to the service desk. This transition was pivotal for the local staff, restoring a healthy work-life balance and allowing them to focus on clinical projects that drive the organization forward.
"It's really great having a partner who understands our business, understands our EMR, and has probably done more than any other company that we work with to help with work life balance for our hospital IT staff."
Drew Houchin | IT Operations Manager, Mary Rutan Health
Leveraging MEDITECH Expertise for Technical Resolution
Unlike typical help desk vendors that simply act as a call center, CereCore provided analysts with deep familiarity in the MEDITECH EHR environment. This specialized knowledge allowed the help desk to resolve complex clinical and application issues on the first call, rather than just passing tickets along to the internal team.
The implementation of FreshService, an integrated ITSM tool, provided Mary Rutan Health with a cost-effective and streamlined way to track tickets. This tool offers advanced data analytics and visibility into trends, allowing the IT leadership to take proactive actions that improve hospital operations.
"One of the most exciting things that came with CereCore is actually having a help desk service that is familiar with MEDITECH. Their knowledge has been tremendous. We have better user satisfaction, and it's just been great for my team. They have taken on some things that actually I never thought a help desk would be able to do. That has really allowed us to focus on projects and other things. We have complete confidence in our help desk to be able to serve our customers."
Barb Bowers | Applications Manager, Mary Rutan Health
A Proactive Approach to Revenue Cycle Optimization
The partnership extended beyond the service desk to improve the EHR’s clinical and financial workflows. CereCore provided the expertise and resources needed to assess and optimize the registration and revenue cycle processes within MEDITECH.
Instead of waiting for errors to occur, the team proactively analyzed call metrics and system workflows to identify areas for improvement. This collaborative effort ensured that the EHR system configuration was optimized for both acute and ambulatory care, leading to more efficient operations and a better experience for both providers and patients.
Key Outcomes:
Rapid Response and Resolution: Achieved a 65% first call resolution (FCR) and a 30-second average speed to answer, significantly improving clinician satisfaction.
Operational Visibility: Implemented Freshservice to provide advanced analytics, allowing leadership to track trends and manage support more effectively.
Capacity Creation: Shifted 5% of technical volume away from internal application teams, providing the capacity needed for strategic clinical projects.
Proactive EHR Optimization: Streamlined registration and revenue cycle processes through proactive analysis rather than reactive troubleshooting.
Restored Team Confidence: Rebuilt trust in the help desk's ability to serve customers, allowing the internal team to focus on their core competencies.
Result
These initiatives delivered measurable improvements in service quality, accelerated clinical innovation, and restored the internal IT team’s focus and work-life balance.
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