Case Studies

Tim I. Sahouri Vice President Information Systems Medcor, Inc.

Tim has been with Medcor, Inc., since 1991 serving as the Vice President of Information Systems. Tim is responsible for all Information Systems and related department functions at Medcor.

Tim came from the technical side of the house, but has a penchant for "knowing the business" which, from his perspective, begins by understanding the end customer..of the business. He prides himself on not just being a technocrat, but also in being a senior executive that can work with his peers in driving the business forward from a non-technical perspective. In 1994, the "intrapreneur Tim" established Iconnect, Inc., an Internet Service Provider in cooperation with American Information Systems, Inc. When he is not working, Tim serves as a technology advisor and director of Airlifeline Midwest, a non-profit organization facilitating access to free air transportation on private aircraft for health care and other compelling human needs.

Tim is vying for his pilot's license and enjoys a good cigar - he also "plays golf" but being a pragmatist, is careful to not call himself "a golfer."

Tim is also a nationally certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) - which comes in handy when the CEO's laptop is on the fritz.

As a senior IT executive in the healthcare industry, what factors most influence your IT strategy?

The most important thing, by far, that influences our IT strategy is our end user customers' needs. This is not necessarily healthcare specific, but in our industry, regulations and guidelines (like HIPAA) and workplace safety protocols issued by OSHA affect our customers processes, and therefore drive our IT processes and strategy. A unique characteristic of our business is that we need to be size, geography and industry agnostic. Our customers range from standalone mines and cookie factories to multi-billion dollar multinationals with 30 sites nationwide. A core function of IT is to install, configure and operate Medcor owned systems at customer sites - so obviously, the end user customers business and needs are tantamount in driving our IT strategy.

External factors like HIPAA compliance and the need to issue valid OSHA reports are another factor that drive our IT processes. Our focus on quality and our detail orientation comes in handy in this environment.

Another key factor that drives our IT strategy is me. I don't mean this from an ego-centric perspective; rather I believe that the personal feelings of an IT leader influence IT processes significantly. When it comes to technology, I am "leading edge," not "bleeding edge." We had e-mail in 1991 when most of corporate America had it in the mid 90s and later. The Internet for us was a solution to an existing business problem, not an opportunity to try and exploit. The folks that looked at it as the latter bet the farm on the Internet and its potential contribution to the revenue line - many of them lost their bets.

When outsourcing development and maintenance of a business critical application to an IT Services partner, what characteristics would you advise your peers in the industry to look for in this partner?

• First and foremost, the partner should have strong business ethics. How should this be measured?
  • Do what they say they will do. I am more concerned that what is promised to be delivered is delivered - schedules can be altered based on external factors, but the ultimate deliverable needs to be adhered to.
  • Sometimes in their eagerness to sell, a partner will under-price a bid then nickel and dime you after the fact. Sometimes, in the bid, a partner will just mis-estimate and underbid. In any case, I want a partner to step up and work with me on it, not try and get out of the deal or put in a ton of change requests.
• Another thing that is very important is that the partner should be a good listener. Many IT Services companies internalize a partnership as a one-sided arrangement where they deliver something to you. I view the relationship as a true partnership where the services company works closely with my team, demonstrates organic creativity, but also incorporates my team's ideas. This is crucial.
• When leveraging development services with an offshore component, it is important that I am not up at 3:00 a.m. resolving issues. The service partner should have a strong on-site/off-site/off-shore model that allows me to communicate with local executives and resolve issues in my time zone.

What tips would you give other IT Executives in the industry as to how they can achieve credibility with their partners on the business side of the house?

1. The first thing I would say is - listen. Often, IT executives are prescriptive - truly listening to business needs and internalizing them is key. Sounds simple, but in my view, it is important.
2. Infuse yourself into the business. I took an EMT class and worked with our software at our clients' site as an employee. This allowed me to experience our customers' frustrations first hand - I now view their requests and needs in a different light.
3. Always wear the shoes of the user. Whether it is an internal user or an end user customer.
   

About Medcor and Covansys

Medcor is a leader in Workplace Health Management, helping employers improve workplace health and reduce workers' compensation costs since 1984. Medcor works with large and small corporations throughout the United States and provides on-site services, delivered by specially trained medical professionals, at customer facilities ranging in size from 250 to 10,000 employees. Medcor Online™ is offered for facilities that don't have medical people on site. Medcor operates in urban and rural settings and works with union and non-union workforces. Medcor medical staff work the same shifts that their clients' employees work, and they provide 24-hour coverage when appropriate.

Covansys and Medcor have formulated a strategic Application Development & Maintenance relationship for development and maintenance of an integrated application that is the core of Medcor's business. This partnership leverages Covansys offshore (India based) development and management expertise.

For more information, contact us.