How PTP Helped SPHCC Improve Security and Boost Patient Encounters by 91%*
Scranton Primary Health Care Center (SPHCC), a Federally Qualified Health Care Center (FQHC) located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, has been providing essential healthcare services since 1978. Initially founded to address the medical needs of underserved populations, SPHCC has grown over the past 44 years to offer a wide range of services, including internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, prenatal care, dental services, and outreach programs for the homeless community. With over 916,000 patient visits since its inception, SPHCC remains dedicated to delivering exceptional care while operating with limited resources.
- *SPHCC experienced a 91% growth in patient visits over five years, supported by a secure and scalable cloud environment.
The Challenge
As an FQHC, SPHCC must maximize operational efficiency to direct funds toward patient care. Handling sensitive patient data and electronic health records (EHR), SPHCC needed to adhere to high data security standards typically reserved for larger organizations with more extensive resources.
Critical challenges included:
• Ensuring high availability for applications critical to patient care.
• Maintaining compliance with stringent healthcare data security regulations.
• Implementing robust security controls and monitoring without a large IT staff.
SPHCC sought a cost-effective solution to securely host and manage its applications while minimizing the operational burden on its small IT team.
The Solution
SPHCC partnered with PTP to modernize its IT infrastructure and enhance data security. PTP deployed SPHCC’s critical applications on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to eliminate the capital expenses associated with managing an on-premises datacenter. The solution included:
AWS Security Best Practices Monitoring and Compliance
Leveraged CloudCheckr to provide consistent reporting on AWS services and configurations, ensuring alignment with industry best practices.
Delivered on-demand compliance reporting mapped to multiple regulatory frameworks, offering visibility into potential non-compliance issues.
AWS Infrastructure Vulnerability Scanning
Deployed Amazon Inspector to perform continuous vulnerability scanning for SPHCC’s AWS resources.
Ensured operating systems and applications adhered to the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, eliminating high-risk vulnerabilities.
Robust AWS Architecture
Implemented a highly available and secure infrastructure using AWS services, including CloudFormation, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Identity & Access Management (IAM), Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Simple Storage Service (S3), Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), VPN Gateway, AWS Key Management Service (KMS), and AWS Certificate Manager.
Designed an architecture based on AWS’s Well Architected Framework to address the core pillars of Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Operational Excellence.
The Outcome
PTP delivered a secure, reliable, and highly available cloud-based solution for SPHCC’s critical applications.
Seamless Migration
PTP ensured a smooth transition from on-premises servers to the cloud, conducting thorough testing and orientation to avoid disruptions to patient care.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency
Eliminated the need for SPHCC to manage local servers, storage infrastructure, and software updates.
Improved Patient Care
SPHCC experienced a 91% increase in patient encounters over the last five years, supported by a scalable and secure cloud environment.
By leveraging PTP’s expertise and AWS’s secure cloud infrastructure, SPHCC successfully modernized its IT operations, enhanced data security, and improved its ability to provide high-quality care to the community. PTP’s cloud security solutions allowed SPHCC to focus on its mission of delivering exceptional patient care while meeting stringent healthcare regulations.
“The transition from actual hosted servers to cloud based was seamless and problem free. PTP scheduled the migration at a time that was convenient for us and did thorough testing before asking us to confirm functionality. PTP made certain resources were available to resolve any issues that arose as a result of the migration. PTP scheduled testing and orientation with us when it was convenient, making certain patient care was not affected.
Scranton Primary has experienced a 91% increase in patient encounters over the last five years, and PTP has made sure we have all the tools we need not only to provide patient care but also to grow and prosper.”
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