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Barrow Neurological Associates

Technology Category
  • Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
  • Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet
Applicable Industries
  • Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
  • Maintenance
Use Cases
  • Remote Asset Management
Services
  • System Integration
The Challenge
Barrow Neurological Associates was facing a significant challenge with their existing T-1 lines. The slow speed of these lines was causing complaints from doctors and patients due to the long time it took to access patient images and records from a centralized office. Additionally, the company was under pressure to implement a bandwidth-hungry electronic medical records (EMR) solution. The company had tested an appliance solution to boost the T-1’s performance, but it was still too slow. VPN solutions were also considered, but these also utilized slow T-1 lines. The company needed a solution that delivered high speed, while being easy to implement and manage.
About The Customer
Barrow Neurological Associates is a healthcare provider specializing in neurology. The company operates six sites, including a facility dedicated to MRI and x-ray imaging, four clinic sites, and one business office. The MRI and clinics centrally access servers at the company’s business office. These servers host MRI files, electronic medical records (EMRs), email, and remote desktop applications, among other things. The company's IT department, led by Director of IT Steve Slack, was facing challenges with their existing T-1 lines, which were slow and causing complaints from doctors and patients.
The Solution
After evaluating various options, Barrow Neurological Associates chose the CenturyLink Metro Optical Ethernet (MOE) solution. This solution was chosen because it could deliver scalable bandwidth up to a gig at each of the company's six locations. The implementation of the MOE service into the company's network was seamless, with no need to mess with routing or IP addressing to other facilities. CenturyLink specialists implemented the MOE service at all six sites. The MRI and clinics now centrally access servers at the company’s business office, which host MRI files, EMRs, e-mail, and remote desktop applications.
Operational Impact
  • The MOE circuits deliver patient images and electronic records almost instantaneously, improving the experience for doctors and patients.
  • The MOE solution is easy to use and manage, and there has been no downtime since its implementation.
  • The migration to high-speed Ethernet circuits allowed the company to adopt a consolidated server architecture, saving significant capital expenditure costs and ongoing maintenance and upkeep costs.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Saved over $100,000 in capital expenditures by avoiding the need to implement servers at multiple locations.
  • Saved money that would have been spent on ongoing maintenance and upkeep of a distributed server model.
  • Saved on hiring costs by avoiding the need to hire four full-time employees to manage a distributed network.

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