14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Dynamics is emerging as the solution of choice for hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities, healthcare-industry officials report. In 2003, Saint Francis Heart Hospital was under construction in Tulsa, Okla. While the physical foundation of the hospital's buildings was being laid out, hospital founders were also looking to build a technology framework that would help them take control of their finances, support projected growth, manage human resources and supplies, and do all of that within the confines of the healthcare industry's demanding regulatory environment.
At the time, their decision to implement a Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains) solution was a surprising one. Despite Microsoft's stature in the technology, the company wasn't seen as a real business-applications player in healthcare.
Their decision was prescient, however, as today Microsoft Dynamics is a rising force in the healthcare industry. Saint Francis has been able to achieve all of the functionality and efficiency they would have seen from a competing solution, at a fraction of the cost, and other organizations have had similar experiences.
"We wanted optimal control over our financial future, and with Microsoft Dynamics, we have that and more," says Robert Dolan, chief executive officer for Saint Francis. "Microsoft Dynamics gives us a better handle on the complexities of managing a hospital environment, and allows us to practice smart, proactive management of our talent, finances and other resources."
Complexity is the name of the game when it comes to managing a healthcare organization, where functions such as payroll take on an assortment of variables such as different pay rates for shifts, known as differentials, and varying pay scales for a spectrum of employee roles. Healthcare organizations must also deal with tight budgets, a complex web of supply issues, and an increasingly rigid set of regulations that govern how their business data can be used.