Skip to main content

Implementing a cloud first strategy at Boone Health

3M™ 360 Encompass™ System in the cloud

The challenge

After a 30-year operating lease agreement with St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare, Boone Hospital Center leadership decided to undergo a multifaceted divestiture, creating Boone Health. Boone Health is comprised of Boone Hospital Center, Boone Home Care & Hospice and Boone Health Medical Group. In an interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Hospital Trustee Brian Neuner said Boone's independence will give it "flexibility to partner with local physicians and other health care providers to better address patients' needs."

Becoming cloud native was an important next step for Boone Health as it began to navigate independence in an ever-changing health care landscape. The organization needed solutions that would not only lower its IT on-premises footprint, but also enable a secure, agile environment. Kenyon Woodward, CIO at Boone Health, said, “A big factor in the decision to move to the cloud was recognizing that there was a bigger issue here than the actual cost, and that is being able to find the IT talent needed to support on premises applications.”

After the divestiture, leadership at Boone Health was on a tight implementation timeline. They had to move over 150 applications with limited resources at their disposal.

The primary cause

In order to meet timelines and business objectives, Boone Health leveraged the IT skill sets and experience of established cloud-based partners to streamline access to essential applications. In early 2021, Boone Health leadership implemented 3M 360 Encompass in the cloud to enhance operational efficiency and increase flexibility in their IT environment.

3M 360 Encompass in the cloud provides a well-integrated information system that is secure and up to date, with minimal use of in-house IT or technical resources. This empowered Boone Health to cut implementation time in half and to focus its IT resources on other strategic business priorities. Woodward said, “Having 3M 360 Encompass in the cloud allowed us to focus on our core objectives and measures rather than investing lots of time, effort and energy to implement, manage and monitor it ourselves. This was a huge benefit.” A regular on-premises implementation of 3M 360 Encompass can take up to nine months but implementing 3M 360 Encompass in the cloud at Boone Health took only four months. In reference to implementation objectives, Woodward said, “We defined the must haves and the nice to haves and Solventum was able to achieve both within the aggressive timeline.”

The results

With Solventum cloud application management 24-hours a day, seven days a week, Boone Health has seen many benefits including, consistent and stable application performance that is equal to or in some cases better than before the divestiture with no change in product functionality. The organization has also enhanced security with encryption of all data in transit and at rest, decreased system downtime, cost transparency and improved flexibility that empowers shorter implementation cycles and application scalability. Woodward said, “I’m going to have to say the number one benefit is the support and maintenance. I haven’t had to spend time thinking about or checking in on Solventum. I know they are taking care of it.”

Very pleased with the [Solventum] partnership and the dedication that Solventum invested with our site to ensure that the project met our strategic timeline and came up on time.

Kenyon Woodward

CIO at Boone Health

Investing in the future

Leveraging Solventum cloud applications enables Solventum to take ownership of the application environment and process management, allowing IT resources at Boone Health to focus on more strategic initiatives. With Solventum as a partner, Boone Health is positioned to navigate the challenges ahead with confidence and continue doing what they do best: providing exceptional patient care.

The Solventum advantage

Solventum has been a trusted partner for more than 35 years in protecting the privacy and confidentiality of patient records. As a Solventum client transitions from traditional, on-premises support to cloud-based products, Solventum provides the security and application management that clients have come to expect in cloud solutions.

92% decrease in severity 1 issue resolution times
An iconographic representation of a clock with a downward arrow housed in a circle located in the lower right of the clock. Dark green and teal positive color palette.
4-month implementation time
An iconographic representation of a calendar with a highlighted date. Dark green and teal positive color palette.

Results, outcomes and/or financial improvements should not be interpreted as a guarantee or warranty of similar results. Individual results vary depending on circumstances.

Boone Health

Boone Health is a mid-Missouri health care network of primary care offices, private practice clinics, outpatient services and affiliated hospitals, including Boone Hospital Center. Boone Hospital Center is a 392-bed full service hospital located in Columbia, Mo. It is a regional referral center located in the center of the state. The hospital provides progressive health care programs, services and technology to residents in 25 mid-Missouri counties.

Results

99.97%

System availability

An iconographic representation of a cogwheel/gear with a checkmark housed in a circle within the center of the cogwheel/gear. Dark green and teal positive color palette.

14%

Return on investment (ROI) on initial start up costs

An iconographic representation of a dollar sign enclosed within a circle and surrounded by two large circular arrows to indicate revenue cycles. Dark green and teal positive color palette.

85%

Reduction in IT burden of implementation

An iconographic representation of a customer service head set with a microphone, and ellipses between the ear pads. Dark green and teal positive color palette.