DEMAND GENERATOR: Rick Chernick, Connecting Point Computer Centers
Connecting Point's performance on the Tablet PC solution for physicians has led to an even tighter relationship with Bellin Health, which calls the solution provider a 'trusted partner.'
>> THE CUSTOMER VIEW:
Dr. Richard McNutt says the Tablet PC-based solution has allowed him to spend more time with his patients instead of tracking down X-rays or other pertinent information.
>> VENDORS REPRESENTED:
Connecting Point brought a slew of vendors to the table for its solution, including Hewlett-Packard, Meditech, Philips, Cisco, Netilla, McAfee, Apple, NEC and Panasonic.
McNutt, a surgeon for Bellin Health of Green Bay, credits the Green Bay, Wis., solution provider with opening his eyes to how a Hewlett-Packard 1100 Tablet PC outfitted with Meditech and Philips Medical Systems software could ultimately help him deliver better care to his patients. "This was a tool that I wasn't familiar with until Connecting Point brought it to me," he said. "I didn't know this was out there."
McNutt is one of six physicians using the HP Tablet PCs on a Cisco Systems wireless network. The solution also includes 80 HP laptops on rolling carts that are used by nursing staff for bedside clinical documentation. Connecting Point also facilitated the integration of Meditech's health-care software and Philips software for access to medical images, said Randy Ronsman, director of IT for Bellin Health, which includes two hospitals and 20 physicians' offices.
McNutt estimates the solution saves him several hours a day in tracking down patient information such as X-rays. No small matter for a surgeon who encounters 4,300 patients each year, performing 750 surgeries and driving $3.5 million in billings. McNutt credits Connecting Point CEO Rick Chernick, who is on the Bellin board of directors, for giving him confidence in the solution. "This is a small town," McNutt said. "Reputations are made and broken by the way people do their business. That is where Connecting Point stands out. They are reliable. They are there when you ask them to be there."
Bellin Health, which has been a Connecting Point client for a decade, views the solution provider as "a trusted partner," Ronsman said. "That trusted relationship is crucial for me when I do business with somebody. When I do business with Connecting Point, they have as much at stake in the project as I do. As the top IT executive for Bellin, I can't afford to have a long list of vendors providing me solutions. I have to pick and choose to keep that list small. Connecting Point is on that small list."
"They are a total customer," Chernick said. "They use us for support, networking, break/fix. We have an engineer or two on staff helping them. We have quarterly meetings with their IT people to discuss where they are going and what we have new to bring to the table to make them more efficient." Chernick said HP is one of the key vendors in the Bellin Health partnership. In fact, he said, approximately $500,000 of the more than $1 million in annual business Connecting Point does with Bellin Health is made up of HP hardware and software including HP CarePaq services. He credits HP with partnering closely with Connecting Point to assist Bellin Health.
Of course, HP is not the only vendor Connecting Point brings to the table. The solution provider also supplies Bellin Health with a wide range of offerings from a Netilla SSL VPN solution to McAfee antivirus software, Macintosh systems, NEC monitors, Panasonic digital projectors and cameras and even assistance building a TV studio. The breadth of product that Connecting Point carries is one of the benefits of working with the company, said Ronsman. For McNutt, that breadth led him to a solution he hadn't even dreamed of.
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