Mediclinic makes the most of mail management with Mimecast  

At A Glance

• Mediclinic Middle East
• Industry: Medical services
• Number of Email Users: 1863

Context

Mediclinic Southern Africa is a private hospital group focused on providing acute care, specialist-orientated, multidisciplinary hospital services and related offerings. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the South Africa-based international private healthcare group, Mediclinic International, founded in 1983 and listed on the JSE since 1986.

Mediclinic International has three operating platforms – Mediclinic Southern Africa with 52 hospitals in South Africa and Namibia; Hirslanden with 14 hospitals in Switzerland; and Mediclinic Middle East with two hospitals and eight clinics in the United Arab Emirates.

Challenge

The medical sector is perhaps one of the most regulated industries in the world – with good reason. For an organisation such as Mediclinic, which offers not only healthcare services but also provides significant administrative support, regulatory and statutory compliance is critical to the business.

“Our group currently operates 49 private hospitals throughout South Africa and another three in Namibia. We have 7000 beds in total, many of which turn over daily,” explains Deon Myburgh, Manager: ICT operations for Mediclinic Southern Africa. “In this digital age we have become 100% reliant upon email for key administrative processes such as admissions and pre-authorisations. We handle tens of thousands of emails each day that are critical to our business and a good portion of these are tracked to ensure proper process is followed and that costs can be recovered. Without proper electronic paper trails in place, our business is at significant risk.”

Mediclinic’s in-house archiving solution had become increasingly cumbersome and at the rate at which the business was growing, unsustainable. “Physical infrastructure is costly, and with more than five-million emails a month and growing, we needed to consider other options,” says Myburgh.

Solution

In The Cloud Services (ITCS) suggested a cloud-based solution that would alleviate much of the pressure on the business’ existing infrastructure. ITCS have an enviable track record in assisting with implementing Mimecast in particular, incorporating Mimecast technology seamlessly into the operation of mission-critical email environments.

By implementing a selection of Mimecast offerings, Mediclinic has access to a secure cloud-based mail archive that is easily referenced while ensuring continued compliance. The solution meets all legislation governing the storage and access of information both in SA and abroad, making it ideal for the globally active group.

“Mimecast worked with us to craft a solution that provides us the level of performance we need, while remaining kind to our pockets. What started out as a grudge purchase for our business quickly became what I believe to be one of the best technology investments we have made so far,” says Myburgh.

Since its deployment in 2011, Mimecast has become the accepted standard within the Mediclinic group, which is currently in the process of rolling out the solution in the United Arab Emirates with plans to extend into Switzerland.

Benefits

Return on investment Mediclinic already had an operational mail and tracking solution in place, so the return on investment offered by Mimecast needed to be substantial enough to justify its deployment. “Our ROI goes far deeper than just financial return,” explains Myburgh. “While there were significant costs associated with the migration as well as an 18-month ingestion process, the value offered in terms of strengthening our governance process to suit our operations in the Middle East and Europe as well as containing potential reputational risk, is immeasurable.”

Knowledge is power In an environment where red tape and disputes are commonplace, Mimecast’s powerful eDiscovery capabilities has given Mediclinic the advantage in many of its disputes – ranging from repudiated claims to CCMA hearings to special investigations. “We have complete peace of mind that we always have ready access to our correspondence, validated and available for when we need it. This has been to our advantage more times that I can count. The time that it takes us to search and compile this kind of information is a fraction of what it used to be,” says Myburgh.“Moreover, the reporting we are able to pull in terms of trends and usage are giving us a better understanding – and better control – of our mail environment.”

Security cleansing The business handles around 5.5-million email messages a month and apart from ensuring the confidentiality and protection of patient information and IP, a big benefit for the business is mail cleansing. Spam has dropped by a massive 85%, which reduces pressure on mail servers and improves the overall performance of networks and personnel.

Living the brand since relaunching its brand in 2011, Mediclinic is currently among the most recognised brands globally. Mimecast is helping to manage brand equity through its stationery elements, which ensures the organisation’s 5500 users present a coordinated and brand-aligned face to the world.“People make a successful company, and it evident that Mimecast’s success is due to its staff, their drive and their passion,” concludes Myburgh.