HP AND LAWSON GIVE SCRIPPS CLINIC A PRESCRIPTION FOR ERPAs reported by Ana M. Cairo, Director of Information Systems, Scripps Clinic, the practice of medicine is all but unrecognizable from the early days of the 20th century. Likewise, today's Scripps Clinic is a far cry from its humble beginnings in 1924 as the Scripps Metabolic Clinic. That small, single-story building in La Jolla, California with seven physicians has grown over the decades to an internationally recognized multi-specialty medical group and clinical research institution. Today, with over 350 board-certified physicians in multiple locations throughout San Diego County, Scripps Clinic is at the forefront of medical innovation and expertise. Its health professionals work as a team to provide the highest standard of comprehensive medical care, serving patients with a tightly woven blend of technical expertise and personal compassion. Pre-existing conditionBut, early in 1999, Scripps Clinic management felt it was time to empower its Operations Team with managerial access to data essential for informed decision making. The Clinic was outsourcing its financial application system and feeling the pains of an inflexible, antiquated platform complicated by the looming Y2K. By spring, the diagnosis was clear: Scripps Clinic needed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. It found relief with Lawson Software's Financial Integrated Solution running on a Hewlett-Packard platform. "Basically, we were looking for Y2K compliant objectives, but we also needed to satisfy the increased demand to provide viable financial information on a timelier and more efficient, streamlined approach," explained Ana Cairo, Director of Information Systems for Scripps Clinic. "Our ERP solution also needed to address new functionality requirements in our Clinical Research and Activity-Based-Accounting endeavors. These organizational expectations further limited the vendor alternatives available to us." Financial systems facelift with Lawson SoftwareWhile Scripps Clinic chose Lawson Software to improve data access, functionality and flexibility, it also wanted to provide administrators and management with online application processing (OLAP) decision support at the desktop. By spring 1999, Scripps Clinic determined that Lawson Software's ERP solution was just what the doctor ordered. In its initial implementation, the Clinic opted for a full range of integrated Lawson Software modules, including its out-of-the-box Self-Evident Applications that have pre-built interfaces that use the same navigational tools as the Web. These include: Financial Service Center based on an Oracle 8i database; Human Resources Employee and Manager Self Service; Performance Workload Technology; and Procurement Service Center. "We chose Lawson's ERP solution because of its integrated system design, rich functionality, proven and timely implementation strategies, Web technology direction and because of Lawson's commitment to health care," Cairo commented. HP9000: just what the doctor and Lawson orderedOnce the Clinic decided on Lawson Software, it then asked Lawson to recommend a proven and stable hardware and operating system for its application suite."We were not interested or willing to tolerate a high risk platform for the ERP application since we needed to meet the Y2K deadline," Cairo admitted. "It was critical for us to partner with a hardware strategy that offered stability, scalability and a team of committed resources to ensure our success, HP met our criteria." Based on Lawson's recommendation and reference checks, Scripps Clinic selected an HP 9000 N4000/3 Enterprise Server and two HP SureStore E Disk Arrays 12H. It relies on HP OpenView Omniback II to drive its HP SureStore E Tape Library 2/15 for office storage. HP OpenView GlancePlus monitors system performance. Scripps Clinic is just completing implementation of HP Process Resource Manager (PRM) to load balance CPU usage of the HP 9000 N4000/3 across the Lawson application modules. Cairo reflected, "Because of our Y2K deadlines, we didn't implement PRM initially. However, it is clear that this tool will enhance our abilities to optimize and deliver balanced performance and distribution across all of our applications." On-call support with HPTo ensure uptime and the ongoing "health" of its mission-critical system, Scripps Clinic also purchased HP Personal System Support (PSS) with 24x7 two-hour response for phone-in software assistance. Along with this service, the Clinic also receives software and document updates as well as access to HP Electronic Support Centers. Additionally, Scripps Clinic has HP MirroredDisk/UX for redundancy. In the event of a failure, MirroredDisk/UX actually will mirror one disk array against the other, further enhancing availability. Cairo commented, "MirroredDisk/UX provides us an added sense of security just knowing that we can count on at least one of the 12H disk arrays at all times." The implementation began in summer 1999. "From the very beginning, HP was always there to ensure the implementation was properly supported," recalled Cairo. "In fact, HP really exemplifies the ideal vendor partner for success. Our representative went out of her way - not just to understand the critical requirements of our project, but also to meet all of our milestones and provide advice and contacts for other associated project activities. A key consideration for us was also the scalability factor. The HP-UX decision afforded us with a degree of confidence that our Web Human Resources and Procurement deployments would be adequately supported in light of the large scale number of anticipated users and e-Commerce plans. HP was more than just a vendor, it was a partner to our success." A healthy diagnosis for today and the futureAlthough the Clinic is still in the final stages of implementing the entire Lawson solution, it already is realizing some significant benefits. Cairo elaborated, "We have achieved significant progress in the automation of our purchasing process. Our procurement workflows are controlled and tracked at a detail level. Processes have been streamlined, paperwork reduced and re-work virtually eliminated." She continued, "In our old system, there weren't many checks and balances, and invoices weren't verified to determine if they matched pre-negotiated purchases with suppliers. Now, our ERP solution does all of that automatically. We are able to monitor contract compliance and compare all of our purchases and invoices with pre-negotiated contract terms. We have identified very positive returns as a result of this system capability." Currently, Scripps Clinic is completing the final phase of its solution. This involves implementing additional Web applications, finalizing the Activity-Based structure and reporting as well as transitioning to online report distribution via Lawson's e-Broadcasting product. Cairo explained, "The activity-based management module will enable us to develop an organizational data model that reflects our revenues, expenses, research and volume opportunities. Access and understanding of these key operational indicators are crucial in our aggressively competitive Managed Care environment."re-work virtually eliminated." She concluded, "HP really was a contributing factor to the success of our ERP implementation. They participated as a true partner - ensuring we were able to meet our ambitious implementation objectives and achieve overall organizational success. Having the right team - HP and Lawson - made all the difference. Because of HP's stability, scalability and reliability, I am confident that the Scripps Clinic technology decision will translate into a credible service which will enable us to realize the envisioned benefits of our ERP investment." For more information on how working with Hewlett-Packard can benefit you, contact your local HP service representative, or visit us through the Internet at our World Wide Web address: www.hp.com. Industry / Health Care Industry Challenges
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Customer at a glance:Company: Scripps Clinic Location: Multiple locations through San Diego County Founded: 1924 Staff: Over 350 board-certified physicians URL: www.scrippsclinic.com Main Service: Scripps Clinic is an internationally-recognized, multi-specialty group and clinical research institution. Dedicated to preserving health as well as treating illness, the Clinic is at the forefront of medical innovation and expertise. Technology Highlights
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