The University of Texas Medical Branch signed a five-year agreement with Microsoft, paving the way for initiatives that will protect data, enhance the patient experience, enhance operations and drive innovation.
The agreement creates a framework for bringing Microsoft’s resources and expertise to solve problems and support new initiatives at UTMB.
“Most people think of IT Services as the people who keep everything up and running, but pushing innovation down to individuals is a huge part of our mission,” said George Gaddie, UTMB Vice President and Chief Information Officer.
Moving Epic, the electronic medical record system, to Azure, Microsoft’s cloud environment, is one initiative that is already underway. The effort is designed to ensure solid security and enhance disaster recovery. In addition, moving to the cloud environment allows UTMB to quickly and seamlessly add enhancements and advanced features to keep the institution at the leading edge of health care, research, education and innovation, Gaddie said.
Providing fast, reliable network access to more than 15,000 employees at four hospital campuses and across hundreds of clinics is just the beginning of the IT Services mission. UTMB also requires robust technology infrastructure to take advantage of revolutionary tools that are critical for an institution intent on being a pioneer in all mission areas.
“Working on such important initiatives will allow us at UTMB to position ourselves as a leader in the industry, giving us the ability to be more agile with changes in the market landscape but also gives us flexibility to scale with our growth,” said Jamie Bailey, UTMB Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “This technology will be transformative in our efforts to become more and more efficient and utilize our resources to maximum capacity.”
When a problem requires advanced technology, whether that’s in the form of a custom artificial intelligence application or an initiative to improve efficiency, UTMB and Microsoft will collaborate to get those advanced features online quickly.
“At UTMB, innovation isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity,” said Dr. Jochen Reiser, President of UTMB and CEO of the UTMB Health System. “These initiatives represent a significant leap in how we harness technology to improve care, advance research, and empower our people. By embracing a cloud-first approach, we’re not only strengthening our infrastructure but also unlocking new possibilities to serve patients, students, and our local communities with greater speed, precision, and vision.”