Case Study: Northwest Kidney Centers

Fax problems are a lot like plumbing problems: the issue at hand can easily reveal systemic gobbledygook that requires further intervention, and the next thing you know, you’re getting a second mortgage and showering at the gym every day.

“We were established in Seattle in 1962, and we’re the world’s first out-of-hospital dialysis provider,” said Kenneth Cheung, Network Administrator, Northwest Kidney Centers. “Now we have 20 free-standing clinics across King County. We work heavily with other hospitals, plus Medicare and Medicaid, which means HIPAA-compliant fax is a big part of our life.”

So when Mr. Cheung ran into plumbing, er, fax problems, well, the issue at hand revealed (you guessed it) the stomach-dropping realization that the whole system was riddled with bottlenecks.

“We would send documents that were never received,” explained Mr. Cheung. “When we asked our fax service provider what the problem was, we were told to call the phone company as it was likely a long-distance issue. So suddenly, I’m troubleshooting with the phone company about HIPAA-related fax. None of it made sense.”

Yep, doesn’t make sense; plus it’s not like phone companies are notorious for their proactive, helpful customer service.

“And it turns out our fax service provider was bought out several times during our relationship, which resulted in high staffing turnover,” said Mr. Cheung. “This degraded their ability to solve problems.”

Not to mention the whole time-is-our-most-valuable-commodity thing.

“If it takes days and days and there’s no solution, multiplied by x-number of patients and x-number of vendors…well, we just won’t want to do business with you anymore,” described Mr. Cheung. “We’ll find a different solution.”

Enter Kelley Create. We know a thing or two both about secure cloud fax and swooping into right some wrongs so our partners can simply get on with their lives and help those they seek to serve.

“Kelley Create has a lot of expertise, both in their fax product, but maybe more importantly with the healthcare industry, and HIPAA overall,” explained Mr. Cheung. “Kelley Create understood both our history, the short-term emergency, and where we wanted to go, needed to go. Then they delivered the solution.”

That meant we delivered our Secure Cloud Fax—a.k.a. stability, satisfaction, and confidence for Northwest Kidney Center—so they could focus on patient care. All in all, a job well done.

“No news is good news when it comes to fax,” laughed Mr. Cheung. “Management is very happy with the Kelley Create solution.”

We couldn’t agree more, at least when it comes to fax service—or maybe plumbing—the less our partners hear, the better. And it may not be glamourous, but the truth is, when it comes to healthcare, fax is how to deliver results.

“We’re about patient care. And we’re a nonprofit. We make a difference in people’s lives, we’re growing, and we’re community-based in the local community. Their health and well-being matter most; that’s why we’re here,” concluded Mr. Cheung.