1. Help Desk Project
FORSYTH AREA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

2. System Scope
Current Problem
 Forsyth Area Medical Hospital is a 19,000 square foot facility which has 200
beds. As they continue to add more services and departments they need
more space. The hospital systems are being upgraded to support the
expansion of the hospital. They are adding a new on-site building and an
off-site location over the next year for the help desk. The outdated system
can no longer handle the traffic of a fully operational help desk system.
FAMH needs a new help desk system to handle the heavier traffic, to
increase the security of patients’ information and records, and to improve
help desk technicians job performance.

3. Current system
 Novell network
 Database written in-house, non-
expandable
 No wireless

4. New System
► Database: Tickets, Reports,
Scheduling
► Website: FAQ’s, E-mail support,
employee forum
► HIPPA Compliant

5. System Scope (cont’d)
Expected Occupational Benefits
 The main work-related benefits of an updated help desk system will be improving employee,
management, and visitors’ satisfaction. There will be better technical support, more efficient help
desk operations, quicker software installation and improved overall general support. This will be
accomplished through the following upgrades.
 Upgrade the network to handle the heavier traffic
 New help desk software
 New Operating System for network and personal computers
 Security controls within the new system that meet HIPAA regulations
 Improved database to store fixes, statistics, and reports
 Improved security policy for all employees
 Secure Wi-Fi for staff and visitors

6. System Scope (cont’d)
System Abilities
 To fulfill the occupational benefits previously listed, FAMH’s help desk system will have the following capabilities:
 Trouble ticket database that will help the user collect information needed to help assign the correct priority level to the call or email
 Guidelines for user to follow when deciding on the priority level of the call and/or email
 Reporting database that stores the date and time of problem, the resolution, how long it took to fix and which tech worked on the call and/or
email to be used for different types of reports for management
 Guidelines for user to follow on what information needs to be kept for each item
 Help desk website that includes the ability to search FAQ’s, an email listed to ask less important questions, and an employee forum to post
issues where employees can help each other
 Knowledge base database that will be used on the help desk website for FAQs and for issues documentation
 Scheduling database with technicians shifts, job functions, help desk operations upkeep, technical support phone assignments, hardware
maintenance, and to assign maintenance work to a technician
 Security policy for all users with 90-day password resets and vacation password locks
 Help desk hardware and software includes security controls that comply with HIPAA regulations
 Strict security controls that prevents users from accessing or seeing unnecessary patient records and personal information; they see only
enough information to do their job
 Employee database that keeps track of what information they access

7. Solution
► Upgrade the network to handle
heavier traffic
► New help desk software
► New Operating System for network
and personal computers
► Security controls within the new system
that meet HIPAA regulations
► Improved database to store fixes,
statistics, and reports
► Improved security policy for all
employees

8. Feasibility Study
1. Operational Feasibility
Forsyth Area Memorial Hospital is upgrading and expanding hospital systems since the hospital has grown and expanded over the years. The current systems can
no longer support the hospitals growing infrastructure and therefore upgrading the help desk is not only operationally feasible but absolutely necessary. The help
desk will be upgraded in order to support the new systems installed throughout the hospitals departments. The new help desk system will support the employees
learning new systems and the growth towards electronic health records. Keeping records secure through HIPPA compliance will be supported through the new
systems configuration, hardware and software layers of security and training of employees in proper procedures to maintain security for those documents.
2. Technical Feasibility
Updating the help desk is technically feasible. The resources needed should be available since the upgrade of the hospital systems will be underway. It’s a high
priority for the hospital to have good support for its new systems so the technical staff to install the new help desk should made available to accomplish this task. If
more resources are needed to complete the project of upgrading the help desk and additional staff are needed to fill needed positions to support the new
systems now being installed, employees should be added since costs are not a top priority.
3. Economic Feasibility
The biggest priority for installing the new help desk system is that it supports the new hospital systems. Economics are deemed a low priority since the hospital
system is being upgraded. The cost of putting in a new help desk system is very small as compared to the necessity of the system and the cost of the total new
hospital system. It would be completely unfeasible to not upgrade the help desk and provide the support needed for the hospital transition.
4. Schedule Feasibility
The hospital systems upgrade will take well under a year. The help desk will be upgraded at the original site to begin the transition. Once implemented at the
current location, it will be tested and employees trained before moving the system into the new location.

9. Database

10. Event Table
Description Source Trigger Process Response Destination
Createticket CalltakenbyHDtech Usercall Filloutnewticket escalationtodepartment SpecificbranchofHD
Reviewticket Database Newentrypriority Prioritizeticket updatedticket Database
Openticket Database PriorityLevel Attempttosolveproblem applicationofpotentialsolution HDtech
Updateticket HDtech Progressonticket Logstepstakentoattempttofix updatedticket Database
Escalateticket HDtech Inabilitytosolveproblem RefertoSRHDtech updatedticket Database
2ndTicketEscalation SRHDtech Inabilitytosolveproblem RefertoITDept updatedticket,messagesenttoIT DatabaseandITDept
Closeticket HDtech Solutiontoproblem Closeticket closedticket Database

11. FDD
FDD
Help Desk
Help Desk
Specialists
Manger IT
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
Reviews tickets
Review tickets
priority
Resolve or
escalate to IT

12. Flow chart

13. Security Policy
 1. Internet Access at Help Desk facilities
 Internet access should be completely separate from the Help Desk system. Hospitals provide a guest connection and any internet access for doctors or
visitors should be provided by that hospital guest system. The help desk system should be totally separate from the access provided. Doctors or guests would
not be allowed on any part of the Help Desk system so that the system is less likely to be compromised. Whatever policies the hospital chooses for their guests
would be in place for that connection. A security program such as air-watch should be run to protect the security of the network. Anyone who connects
using this network would first have to sign off that the help desk or hospital will not be held responsible if their device is compromised or damaged by the use
of said network.
 2. Data Base
 The data base should be written in house as was the previous version of the data base. Then the old scheduling system that assigned help desk staff would
be easily incorporated into that system. Data base layout will be described in the diagrams provided. The database will be isolated on a separate PC from
the technicians PC’s and behind a firewall. All data will be encrypted. Information on the data base will available to management to run reports and help
desk personnel only as needed and completely unavailable to anyone else to comply with HIPPA requirements.
 3. General System
 We recommend using Microsoft Server 2012 as the operating system. It has incorporated into its operating system HIPPA compliant security. That includes
encryption on network connections and use of TCP/IP protocols. All PC’s in the Help Desk Area should have case locks and access to the Help Desk area
should be locked and monitored.
 4. Employee Training
 All hospital employees should be trained in proper procedures to keep data secure and should sign a statement that they agree to keep patient data
secure. A hardware firewall should also be placed between the Help Desk network and the other systems and any network access. All employees should
have only the least amount of permissions as needed to complete their work. There should be vacation lock out when employees are out. Passwords must be
changed every 90 days.

14. Proposed Software

15. Implementation and Testing
► Build system
► Test side by side with old system in
current location
► Train Technicians
► Move to new location, retest
► Dismantle old system after new system
tests out in new location

16. Implementation plan

17. Staffing Help Desk
► Recommend approx. 13 – 15 HD staff
post-expansion
► Floater to handle vacations, sick days
and projects
► Supervisor for each shift
► Call taker each shift

18. Questions??
 At this time, we would like to answer any questions the panel has about our proposed
new system for your hospital.