ABOUT SAINT LUKE’S HEALTH SYSTEM
- Known for pioneering health care innovation, Saint Luke’s Health System provides health services from 18 hospitals, multiple clinics, and care facilities across the Kansas City region.
- 12,000 employees serve a metro population of two million people in 67 counties.
- Saint Luke’s is Kansas City’s only locally owned, not-for-profit health system.
- Nationally ranked in two specialties (2019 – 2020), including cardiology and heart surgery, and neurology and neurosurgery.
Download the PDF of this case study here.
THE CHALLENGE
Because of the sheer size and scope of Saint Luke’s Health System facilities and the specific need for AV system support knowledge, its internal IT team struggled to keep up with audio visual help requests and day-to-day support needs.
The health system serves as a primary teaching hospital of the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine, and when physicians and staff had AV issues, they needed a quick response and resolution to continue their care giving and instruction. With little to no capacity to serve the health system’s AV troubleshooting needs, the organization needed to find a new solution.
THE SOLUTION
AVI Systems initiated a standard PRO Support agreement with Saint Luke’s Health System to help with AV needs on a project-by-project basis. On-site support was broadened when Saint Luke’s key hospitals and corporate office locations found it needed full-time expertise.
With an AV technician on-site each day, we knew the client’s technical needs could be more efficiently managed.
Stuart Fedt, AVI Account Representative
In addition, AVI looked at the Saint Luke’s annual spend on AV and the time spent on day-to-day support and determined the organization could save money by adding a dedicated on-site resource. The full-time resource is an AVI contract worker who now serves as a permanent, on-site technician at Saint Luke’s.
“With an AV technician on-site each day, we knew the client’s technical needs could be more efficiently managed,” said Stuart Fedt, AVI account representative. “We created a detailed job description, that allows the embedded technician to provide concierge support, install basic projects and provide day-to-day troubleshooting to keep the campus’s AV systems up and running at all times.”
THE RESULTS
Saint Luke’s immediately saw the benefit of having an embedded
resource who could attend to the organization’s AV needs. The AVI
System’s contract technician is on campus each day and is trained
to assist physicians or other staff with conference room AV needs,
install digital signage displays or upgrade a conference room with a
new monitor. There is no longer a need for temp staff to handle AV
issues the IT team can’t attend to.
The on-site tech is a better use of our audio-visual budget.
Dean Lewis, Information Services Manager at Saint Luke's Health System
“The on-site tech is a better use of our audio-visual budget,” said
Dean Lewis, Information Services Manager at Saint Luke’s Hospital.
“With the entire organization under AVI’s PRO Support agreement, we
no longer have to keep track of which projects are under contract and which ones are considered ‘extras.’ Everything is managed under the agreement.”
Now a dedicated resource is on campus constantly thinking about the organization’s AV needs and ensuring everything from paging systems, to displays to on-site training is attended to. In addition, Saint Luke’s has access to the AVI Systems team for back up when needed. And, when the embedded AV tech takes vacation or has a sick day, AVI sends a local staff person to the campus to cover tech support duties.
“Hiring a full-time employee who is dedicated to AV technology and support is not widely implemented by organizations,” said Fedt. “But as the technological requirements grow for more applications, it takes IT staff away from other priorities. Rather than neglect an organization’s AV needs, contracting with AVI Systems suddenly makes perfect sense — and it saves money in the long run.”
