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Before WellStar Health System’s former manager of telecommunications, Kirk Walsh, met with Tim Wise and Scott Fogle, co-presidents of Advocate Networks, in October 2001, his hopes were not high that the pair would be of help. Walsh told them about an experience he’d had with a contingency-fee telecommunications consultant; it was not good. Nevertheless, he reluctantly agreed to a meeting with Advocate–which works on a project fee–to review Wellstar’s telecommunications systems. He liked what he heard and shortly thereafter Advocate Networks and Wellstar began working together. That relationship is still blossoming as Advocate Networks continues to provide services and new ways for the health system to save money.
On their first project together in 2002, Advocate Networks suggested Wellstar sign a three-year contract with a local voice service provider that offered them the same services as their previous carrier at an annual savings of $925,000. Last year, Advocate Networks assessed WellStar’s PBX maintenance options and helped the company procure network services, which reduced annual telecom costs by $60,000 a year. Presently, Advocate Networks is performing a wide area network (WAN) assessment of possible network bandwidth expansion for new applications and the preparation of a new hospital.
“Advocate Networks has truly become a trusted partner to me and WellStar Health System,” said Walsh, now Wellstar’s director of Safety, Security, Parking and Telecommunications. “Their approach to consulting is atypical: The Advocate team truly has our best interests in mind and heart.”