Case Study: Tenet St. Louis Information Services
Tenet – St. Louis Information Services
- 356-bed Saint Louis University Hospital
- Anheuser-Busch Eye Institute (ABEI)
- 167-bed Des Peres Hospital
Challenges
- Maintain Tenet’s current equipment until the budget allowed for upgrade and optimize network to meet existing requirements
- Support an outdated system with quality refurbished replacement parts when necessary
- Create and implement a long-term plan for future network initiatives
2400 NEAX 2400 IPX (Internet Protocol eXchange)
- Fusion IP Networking
- Remote Switching
- Electronic Tandem Networking
- Centralized Attendant Service – Wygant Call Recording
- Direct Digital Interface
- Integrated ACD
Tenet Saint Louis is a 1,584-licensed bed system of academic and community hospitals and schools of nursing headed by Phillip S. Schaengold, J.D., Tenet corporate vice president, operations and Tenet Saint Louis CEO. Its facilities include Des Peres Hospital, Forest Park Hospital, Saint Louis University Hospital, SouthPointe Hospital and St. Alexius Hospital.
An emergency phone call from Tenet stated the NEC 2400 UMG switch was in alarm mode. However, upon examination Optus realized Tenet was utilizing technology that had been in place since 1984. This switch had 89 smaller key systems that had been added on over the years to accommodate the growing facility, but the continual expansions had been implemented with no long-term plan to maximize the technology or budget.
Migration Plan
Working Within the Budget
Budgets rarely allow for emergency replacement of an entire PBX system, as was the case with Tenet. The existing equipment, installed in 1984, lacked the sophistication to meet most of the technology needs of a growing medical institution such as Tenet-St. Louis but an upgrade was not in the budget. Optus’ certified NEC technicians were able to work closely with Tenet Information Services to optimize the current network while awaiting funding for a long-term solution.
The manufacturer of Tenet’s existing system no longer supported the out of date technology. Replacement parts to keep the system running were simply no longer available through NEC. However, as a certified distribution and remanufacturing center, Optus was able to provide refurbished replacement parts to maintain the outdated system. The Optus ISO 9001:2000 Certified refurbishing process employs high-speed buffing systems and cleansing chemical compounds with in-house test labs with more than 100 live systems and inventory management allowing Tenet to continue to save money while maintaining their current system.
Product Characteristics
2400 NEAX 2400 IPX (Internet Protocol eXchange)
The UNIVERGE™ NEAX® 2400 Internet Protocol eXchange (IPX) system by NEC was chosen because it took advantage of all the benefits of peer-to-peer IP Telephony while offering hundreds of PBX features thus improving communications and information throughout Tenet-St. Louis Information Services.
By taking advantage of the next level of Internet Protocol (IP) medium — peer-to-peer switching — the UNIVERGE NEAX 2400 allowed the station users access to more than 750 service features enhancing user productivity, reducing operating costs, and improving communication efficiency.
Peer-to-peer switching means the stations participating in a call are connected directly to each other through the IP network. The voice signals travel through the IP network but do not “go through” the switch as they do in traditional telephony. In the case of Tenet-St. Louis Information Services, the system functions in and supports a “hybrid” network with traditional digital/analog switching, IP/TDM switching and pure peer-to-peer IP switching meaning the users can continue to utilize their existing equipment while they phase in IP Telephony and lay the foundation for future networks.
Technology Plan
Laying the Foundation for Future Networks
Modular design, distributed processing, sensible migration, comprehensive network solutions and the ability to customize functionality to match specific business applications are just a few of the benchmarks that Optus built upon when putting together a technology plan for multiple St. Louis Tenet locations.
Innovative modular hardware and software design allows the UNIVERGE NEAX 2400 IPX to serve efficiently and grow incrementally over its entire size spectrum, ranging from 384 ports to over 24,576 ports. Tenet-St. Louis Information Services now has the ability to expand from its minimum configuration to its maximum capacity with virtually no loss of existing hardware. This expansion capability allows the system to grow in a cost-effective manner as Tenet’s user requirements grow, a unique feature in today’s telecommunications industry.
In addition to outlining plans for growth and expansion, Optus also created a technology plan for Tenet that included a strategy for disaster recovery. A crash kit or hardware disaster recovery program was developed which enables Tenet to have parts on site in case an emergency should occur. For more normal service situations, an advanced replacement repair program ensures that if any equipment goes down, Optus can immediately replace it while the defective unit is being repaired. 48-hour Emergency Service turnaround was also made available. A plan of action was established so that no matter the emergency, downtime is a bare minimum.
Benefits & Results
- System enabled personnel to increase responsiveness to customers internal and external providing a greater impact on service and revenue generation.
- Enhanced business systems improved the performance of the deployed technologies while networking systems through IP transport improved communications and information throughout multiple locations.
- Increased the effectiveness of management resources by enhancing communication and collaboration allowing for improved individual and enterprise performance.
- Provided investment protection through long-term product migration.
- Enhanced efficiency through a converged cable infrastructure.
- Enhanced Multiport Private Networking.
