Centerline Health Systems

Case Study #1

Challenge

A very large healthcare system with over 100,000 users, was implementing a learning management system for the first time. All the major LMS vendors participated in the RFQ, and out of a total of 12 responses that they received, and a six-month evaluation period, the client selected the Centerline LMS.

Being a tremendously large and diverse health system, they had many different stakeholder groups, each with not only their own diverse needs, but also their organization had multiple HR systems implemented. In addition, the data needed to be consolidated via multiple feeds into the LMS – some in batch mode and some real-time – and all at different timing intervals.

Lastly, the client needed to interface the new LMS into their simulation labs and medical devices. These processes needed to be staggered, making for what is typically a 60-90 day implementation project, into a project that was anticipated to take over a year.

The Solution

The Centerline ERP Link module and the Web API module are totally configurable elements of the system. Coupled with the Management Impact module, we knew that we had the necessary tools and resources to meet the challenge.

Centerline began by meeting with the various stakeholder groups to better assess their requirements.
Centerline met with their IT groups – again, of which there were multiple – even though the main IT department was spearheading the project.
The specifications were then defined, and by manipulating the data structure on the Centerline LMS to accommodate the various formats, we presented the IT groups with a flexible data structure. This enabled them to easily create data streams directly from their existing HR systems, using standard existing routines, and without having to manipulate and create new formats to match the LMS structure. We made all of these ‘changes’ on the LMS side.
Next, Centerline configured the web service to recognize the different sources, set the timing schedule and formats, and began testing for the first three groups.
Another group within Centerline’s implementation project team concurrently began researching the requirements for their simulation labs. The Centerline management Impact module, which allows managers and supervisors to set objectives – where only after students/users have been able to demonstrate proficiency in a task, are they credited with having completing the task (assuming that they have also passed the required assessment and evaluation criteria as well), and the course is then moved their transcript.
However, the success of this process relied on the Centerline Video Capture module to either ‘record’ the student performing these tasks, or have them attach existing video captured during the simulation process. This would then link to the user’s profile automatically (for viewing by their supervisor/manager at a later time or from a remote location).

The Result

In just four months, the entire organizations’ data from each of their various health systems was integrated into their new Centerline LMS. The client had expected that this process was going to take at least 12 months. All of the groups were able to realize the benefits of the LMS within a much shorter timeframe than had been anticipated, and managers were receiving reports, updates and dashboards in more detail, and with more accuracy than they had ever received before.

The bi-directional data flow was introduced a few months later, and completed student records are now also being sent back to their respective HR systems. It should be noted that the health system is in the process of standardizing its HR system, and over the next 18 months, Centerline will be reverting to a standard common HR feed for all HR data.

Centerline’s efforts were critical in getting the client ‘up and running’ considerably before their estimated time frame, and the client did not have to wait until all their hospitals had implemented a standard HR system.

Note: As is the case with the majority of our customization efforts, Centerline did not charge the client anything for interfacing all of these multiple and diverse systems to the LMS, or reverting them back to a single structure.

At this time, the simulation processes are still being finalized. We are also still working on directly updating certain medical devices (in real time). This will ensure that nurses have immediate access to these devices upon completion of compliance requirements/tests.

Case Study #2

Challenge

A Midwest healthcare organization with approximately 30,000 users, selected the Centerline LMS.

Although both Centerline and the client carefully scoped out the requirements prior implementation, there was one important element that was missed by both project teams. The client had approximately 18 hospitals within their group, each with their own HR system - and we found out in the latter stages of the implementation process, that each of these ‘stand-alone’ systems had the same code structure except for their job codes.

Therefore, when an assignment was created assigning recurring mandatories to all 30,000 users, there would have to be 18 different job codes defined in each assignment to encompass the different job codes at each individual facility. Had the client selected a non-customizable LMS, the system would have had critical complications, as each of the 18 hospitals belonging to the group had a differnet job code structure.

The Solution

Since the Centerline solution has a customizable framework architecture, we proposed the following to the client –

Centerline would modify its database field structure, to accommodate an additional field, as our standard custom fields option would not work in this scenario.
We would create a ‘Job Family’ field for each hospital this field would contain the same job family code for each of the 18 hospitals.
We would retain each hospitals’ unique job code, which the client knew and had used for many years – and would use this field for their reports.
The assignment scheduler would be changed to use the new ’Job Family’ code, instead of the hospital-unique job code when assigning mandatories.
Only a single code was now needed for each job code assignment, instead of 18 different codes – making the system easy, simple and far less complicated (if not impossible) to manage.

The Result

There was a delay of just three days in the implementation schedule to effect these changes – and notably, no need for in anyone in each of the hospitals to learn new job codes.

The system has now been implemented for over seven years at the client, and supports in excess of 60,000 users. Centerline releases over 60 enhancements each year to its LMS/TMS – ideas and suggestions that it receives from most (if not all) of its valued clients, given the ever-changing nature of the healthcare industry. Furthermore, we recognize that our clients know the healthcare industry far better than any technology firm, and our system has become so feature-rich because of these clients, each helping to drive new and innovative functionality into our software.

It is important to state here that Centerline is a single-code based system – meaning there is only one version of our software. Every one of the 500+ client implementations uses the identical source code – so upgrading the system for each respective hospital is never a challenge. No matter what specific modifications and/or customizations that are made for any individual client, they are all incorporated into the same software that all other clients are utilizing. This is one of the major advantages of the Centerline LMS – not many other software vendors are able to offer this kind of flexibility.

Centerline has a 100% renewal rate with its customers – there has never been a time when we have not been able to accommodate any of our client’s needs.

Note: Centerline did not charge the client for making these customized job code/family changes to their system.

Case Study #3

Challenge

A healthcare organization with approximately 6,000 users was paying a nationally recognized survey company over $200,000 per annum for evaluations and reports from employees and contractors within their health system. Results of these surveys were required annually for compliance and comparative purposes; and having just spent millions of dollars on the construction of a new state-of-the-art hospital, money was tight and they were looking for ways to greatly reduce expenditures.

As an existing LMS client, most of their user information was already in the learning management system that Centerline had implemented two years prior. Upon learning of their predicament, we talked with our client’s learning team, and submitted a proposal to customize our LMS in two ways –

Modify the Centerline Evaluations and Surveys module to be able to accommodate the required additional information.
Design custom reports that closely resembled the reports that were being produced by their current survey tool.

The Solution

Our client accepted the proposal, which initially was budgeted to save them approximately $100,000 per year – a 50% savings on their current expenditure for this project.

Centerline met with their compliance team, as well as their IT personnel to better understand their needs. We were also provided sample reports.

We assigned a project manager and began working on customizing the Centerline Evaluations and Surveys module. We had estimated the time frame to be approximately four weeks to make the necessary modifications, but because of the open framework of the Centerline LMS, this stage was completed in just two weeks.

Next, we began working on creating four brand new reports that matched the requirements for the compliance surveys. Working in conjunction with the learning team, we completed the initial reports in just ten days. Sample data was loaded, and the sample reports were then shown to management, who made some minor changes to the format of the reports.

A representative sampling of 300 users was then selected, and the pilot survey process commenced.

Using the Centerline Assignment Scheduler module to target the required users (with e-mails and instructions on how to compete the surveys), we had all the sample data back within one week. The reports then followed, and within hours of completing the pilot survey, management was presented with the reports that we had specifically created for this purpose. The results were such a resounding success that the system went live just two weeks thereafter to all 6,000 users.

The Result

Not only did the four reports contain more information than the health system was previously receiving from its original system, but the turnaround time for the survey process had been cut by 75%.

We were then asked if it would be possible to add five additional reports – each report would contain information for which their previous survey vendor had quoted an additional $60,000 per annum.

With the Centerline custom Report Builder module, this was a three-day exercise – and we were able to provide a far more comprehensive reporting system encompassing nine reports.

The client had been paying approximately $210,000 for this service from their previous survey vendor – and it would have been an additional $60,000 for the extra reports, making a grand total of $270,000 per annum.

The Centerline charge to the client was just $9,000 for all the programming, customization and testing of the evaluations and surveys, including the reports.

Moreover, they were able to reduce their cost to just $30,000 per annum, a saving of approximately $180,000 per annum – not just the $100,000 (50%) that they had initially forecast.

Case Study #4

Challenge

An East Coast healthcare system that was one year into its 2nd renewal period of their LMS contract with Centerline, made an organization-wide change to its business unit structures. Instead of the current organizational tree stricture that had existed for many years, they had decided to change the entire coding of their divisions, departments and locations.

This not only had significant ramifications for their own internal systems, but also for the LMS, where Centerline had seven years of historical data for over 12,000 users that would no longer match the newly prosed coding structure.

The client was under the impression that the reporting, data imports/exports, and the assignment of courses would require a complete restructuring.

Fortunately, the client had selected an LMS partner, in Centerline, that was ready and able to make the necessary changes to meet the new demands of the organization.

The client’s options were very limited, because even if they went with a new vendor, numerous issues with the integration and reporting of the historical data would arise.

The Solution

The Centerline developers had considerable experience with this scenario-type. There were a number of challenges that had to be overcome, and we had the solution –

Completely restructure the organizational tree in the LMS.
Create a cross-reference table, within the LMS, so that on an ongoing basis, reports could still be produced from the historical data, but within the format that met with the new structure.
Make changes to the HR data feeds to reflect the new structure.
Rework the export and real-time update feeds back to the HR system.
Completely redesign the Centerline Assignment Scheduler module input framework masks.
Change the structure of the reporting data matrix feeds to be able to print the reports to meet the new coding structure - while still maintaining the integrity of the historical data.

The Result

Within a three-week period, the ‘conversion’ on the LMS side was completed – and it was seamless to the users. All this was completed without any inconveniences, or compromises having to be made by the client regarding the conversion. Moreover, there was uninterrupted and continued use of the LMS.

Centerline is continually able to meet the ever-changing demands and needs of both our clients and of the dynamic healthcare industry. With the high levels of support that Centerline provides to its clients, coupled with the fact that we are able to customize our modular and cost effective solutions – our clients continue to rely on us for their LMS/TMS solutions