When Central Minnesota Neurosciences built their new clinic in Sartell, they viewed it as a unique opportunity to create a voice and data network from the bottom up that would take them many years into the future. They were years behind current technology in their previous location and felt it was time to implement a state-of-the-art solution to increase their employees’ efficiency and better serve their patients.

Ron Thiessen, Clinic Administrator, and Janet Hallermann, Clinic Manager, had the responsibility of choosing a voice and data system that would integrate with their electronic medical records system and allow the Clinic room for future growth.

Ron and Janet had worked with Jonathan Warrey, Marco Sales Manager, in leasing data products and services at their previous location. Janet commented, “Jonathan was a big part of why we chose Marco as our vendor for this project.”

Ron explained, “Jonathan is honest and straightforward. Since he did such a great job for us before, we relied on him to help us design and implement the plan for our new building. We didn’t want to shop around for multiple vendors. We wanted one vendor who could handle all the technology and any issues that came up. And we wanted to do it with people we knew had a good reputation.”

During the planning process, Ron and Janet consulted with their office staff to find out what their needs were. “We told Jonathan what we needed and then Marco provided an infrastructure design,” said Ron. “He showed us how we could integrate our phone system and billing system with our data network.”

According to Janet, “Jonathan spoke our language and explained what we needed and why we needed it.”

Marco provided Central Minnesota Neurosciences with the structured cabling for their new facility and integrated a wireless data network that allows them to use a medical records system to electronically send patient films anywhere within the facility. This makes it easier for them to share information with their patients.

A new Inter-Tel phone system with voice mail and wireless IP phones was implemented throughout the Clinic through Marco’s Managed Voice plan - a monthly lease plan that includes all of the equipment, service, mainte-nance, warranty, and software upgrades. The clinic also purchased new computers and upgraded to larger, flat screen monitors to better handle and read their radiology studies.

To prepare for the installation of their new voice and data network, Ron and Janet met at Marco to discuss the implementation plan. Janet explained, “They outlined for us what was going to happen and when. They also took care of coordinating the installation with our telephone provider, general contractor, electricians, etc. We didn’t even need to get involved.”

What impressed Central Minnesota Neurosciences the most about the project was how seamless it was from start to finish. Ron explained, “It was invaluable to us that we could delegate this project out to one vendor, have little involvement, and it turns out exactly how they told us it was supposed to. We were approached by Marco on numerous occasions to make sure everything went smoothly for us.”

Central Minnesota Neurosciences also relies on Marco for their day-to-day technical service as needed. They feel it is more cost effective for them to hire Marco as they need service versus hiring an in-house IT person. Ron explained, “We view Marco as an IT solution that functions as though it is an extension of our business.”

“The service we receive from Ron Athmann (Marco Service Technician) has been great,” said Janet. “Any time we call even with a small problem, he takes care of it for us. We feel like he is already a part of our staff.”