NEW YORK, Aug. 05, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MASS Communications announced today the successful rollout of a new MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) voice and data network solution for CityMD, a fast-growing New York-based network of urgent care centers.
The multiyear IP-based networking contract will bolster CityMD’s ability to manage its rapid growth plans. The more reliable infrastructure also will ensure continual uptime crucial to serving patients with minimal wait times and providing aftercare services.
Over the last four and-a-half years, CityMD has grown from one office to 40 – primarily in New York City and Long Island. The healthcare provider plans to expand to as many as 70 locations in the next two years. To accommodate that growth, CityMD needed a much more robust networking environment than its previous low-cost hosted solution, which wasn’t scalable or reliable. It lacked dedicated voice services, which led to costly service outages.
“MASS Communications is helping us bring reliable Ethernet circuits to ensure we have connectivity around the clock,” says Robert Florescu, VP of IT for CityMD. “One of the benefits of our partnership with MASS Communications is their negotiation power with telecom carriers and their service model to provide ongoing monitoring and support,” he adds.
In developing a fully redundant and reliable voice and data network infrastructure from the ground up, MASS Communications went beyond simply designing and implementing an innovative connectivity solution.
“We acted as a partner and consultant to help source the new voice platform and manage all aspects of the implementation,” says Marc Gold, President & COO, MASS Communications. “The quality of the service needed to be flawless as this client delivers emergency and health-based services to their customers.”
The fully meshed MPLS and IP-based solution gives every CityMD location an Ethernet primary with a secondary diverse broadband connection for failover and redundancy. Each location will connect to two geographically diverse routed core data center gateways for a fully managed SIP voice solution. For location-based emergency services, traditional POTS lines have also been deployed at each location.
In designing a new hardware voice solution, MASS Communications had to consult in the selection of a vendor to replace all the existing handsets since the pre-existing hosted phone equipment was not compatible with any of the dedicated hardware solutions. Keeping costs down without sacrificing performance was a key challenge.
“MASS‘s negotiation skills and resources not only ensured we got the best pricing with our current deployment but it also will help us keep our competitive pricing model as we expand into other markets,” says Florescu.
A key challenge, adds Gold, was the need to scale with CityMD’s growth projections while meeting stringent standards of a healthcare service model that puts patient care as the first priority.
“We had to design a solution that would provide a dedicated networking environment, leveraging the quality and uptime required to support a healthcare client without breaking the bank.”
Florescu indicates that he plans to continue to leverage MASS Communications’ strong carrier relationships and its negotiation strengths as his company expands to other markets. He considers MASS’s managed service strengths just as critical as the IT needs of CityMD continue to grow with the addition of more staff and locations.
“By monitoring our connections, MASS is helping us focus on our other systems’ uptime,” explains Florescu. “They are our eyes and ears – they notify us if there is an outage so we can proactively respond and minimize the impact on our patients.”
ABOUT CityMD
CityMD, founded by physicians in 2011, is a network of New York urgent care medical centers dedicated to setting an unprecedented standard of care for patients and an edifying, intuitive work environment for employees. Using a state-of-the-art personalized healthcare delivery system, CityMD has grown from one location on the Upper East Side to over 40 in the New York area, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Rockland County. For more information, visit: www.citymd.com.
ABOUT MASS Communications
MASS Communications, a leading connectivity and telecom management provider, takes a consultative approach to deliver a full suite of voice, data, risk management and security solutions. Founded by engineering innovators, MASS designs custom networks with best-in-class carriers across an international footprint. The New York-based Competitive Local Exchange Carrier made the Inc. 500|5000 List for two years running in 2013 and 2014. For more information, visit www.masscommgroup.com.