Community Medical Centers
Community Medical Centers (CMC) has a rich history of medical excellence and compassionate care. With more than 6,000 employees and 1,100 physicians, it also is the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in the San Joaquin Valley. The mission of CMC is to improve the health status of the community and to promote medical education.

CMC provides a full continuum of care from preventive education and outpatient services to intensive hospital acute and specialty treatment. The system operates three acute-care hospitals, outpatient and ambulatory care facilities, rural clinics as well as long-term care facilities. In addition, CMC shares ownership interests in a 60-bed specialty cardiac facility, Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital, as well as two high-volume outpatient imaging centers.

Challenge

Community Medical Centers' IT strategy was based on a desire to evolve from a best-of-breed approach to a primary or majority vendor framework. At the time, more than 250 various applications were supplied from more than 80 unique vendors. CMC management believed there was significant value in consolidating the large number of unique suppliers with a comprehensive and integrated (versus interfaced) information system solution.

CMC was seeking a primary vendor with a broad and deep application portfolio, experienced process optimization talent, and a contracting model that fosters a long-term partnership with aligned economic incentives.

Solution

• Use Fulcrum Methods Vendor Selection Methodology to select replacement clinical, patient access, revenue cycle and corporate financial information systems
• Used Fulcrum Methods Cost Benefit Analysis tools to fully assess total cost of ownership for replacement system
• Used Fulcrum Methods Contracting Guidelines to assess and negotiate fair and reasonable information system contracts with performance-based compensation

Results

• CMC selected two software vendors (comprehensive clinical/patient access/revenue cycle and corporate financials) that best fit their unique organizational requirements.
• CMC conducted a comprehensive cost benefit analysis for the new systems that included detailed resource requirements and costs for system implementation, enterprise-wide costs and benefits for the new systems, and savings from terminating old systems.
• CMC executed performance and benefits-based system contracts that minimized CMC’s risk and provided incentives for successful and timely implementations.
• CMC prepared an implementation plan during contract negotiations that would best facilitate rapid deployment of critical systems and timely realization of benefits.