The Division of Information Technology has entered into exclusive negotiations with Dell to provide support for clinical workstations, help desk, and desktop and printer support at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
“Since we formed the Division of Information Technology in July 2013, one of our key principles has been ‘setting the dials right,’ which means getting the right balance between what we do ourselves and what we do with partners,” John M. Lutz, vice chancellor for information technology said. “We have been working with VUMC leadership over the last several months to explore opportunities to work with external partners on services that are common across our fields of health care and education in order to free up Vanderbilt resources in those areas where we have an opportunity to innovate.”
VUIT is currently in discussions with Dell to determine the details of how the services will be provided.
“Careful analysis preceded the decision to transition to shared IT support within the Medical Center. Our research included site visits and extensive discussions with other leading academic medical centers that have already made this transition, allowing us to see firsthand how shared support can provide valuable assistance with current and future needs,” said John F. Manning Jr., VUMC’s associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs and chief administrative officer.
Dell was selected as the partner for this initiative for reasons that included its location in Nashville, its success with similar projects at academic medical centers, and its ability to provide comparable salaries and benefits to Vanderbilt employees affected by the change.
Under the terms being negotiated, a group of positions will remain at Vanderbilt, a larger group will move to Dell, and some will end. All employees involved will have an opportunity to interview for all available positions. Vanderbilt will work with those employees who do not receive an offer to find other opportunities at Vanderbilt or elsewhere.
“The terms we are negotiating with Dell exceed industry standards in terms of pay, benefits, job security and career paths, which speaks to the commitment we both have to ensuring the best possible future for our colleagues in these roles,” Lutz said.
While a small group of employees will be physically located at the Dell facility in Nashville, the majority will continue to be physically located at Vanderbilt as Dell employees in order to continue to best serve their medical center clients.
The project is scheduled to kick off in June, with implementation for the Help Desk and Clinical Work Stations to begin in September. Implementation for the services currently provided by LMS will begin in early winter.