From Manual to Automated: Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network’s SmartConnect Success

Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network needed software that would save them time by automating processes and creating reports using reliable information. They needed to seamlessly add information to Dynamics GP from their old ERP and third-party applications without any interruptions because of the hundreds of providers and tens of thousands of people they serve within their network.

DWIHN’s Background

The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) serves 75,000 children and adults in Detroit and Wayne County by supporting the people and providers they serve in their system of care.

Previously included as a part of the Wayne County government, the DWIHN switched to Dynamics GP when they became a separate organization.

Carl Hardin has been working at Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network as their financial systems administrator for almost 10 years. He is responsible for financial-related computer applications, including their Dynamics GP enterprise resource planning system.

As the financial system administrator, Hardin gets called upon to deliver information every day, and the needs are always rushed. “Everyone’s request for information is always ‘I needed this yesterday.’”

Along with the regular reporting, multiple manual processes were also adding to Hardin’s workload, making it difficult for him to take time off.

The Solution

After their switch from JD Edwards to Dynamics GP, their migration partner recommended they use applications to assist with their GP configuration. Two of the products their partner recommended were SmartConnect and SmartList Builder.

Over the years, Hardin has set up at least 100 reports using SmartConnect and SmartList Builder.

“The ease of use of the tools is very critical for me and I’ve always appreciated that. I like the functionality they allow me to use in setting up these reports, the drill-downs, the flexible criteria, and the ability to link to so many different kinds of files,” Hardin said. “What we use the most are the GP tables, as well as the views. A lot of our SmartLists are connected to different views in addition to the tables, and we have the ability to do various kinds of joints to make sure we’re getting exactly what we want in the way we want it. I found that to be extremely useful.”

The more Hardin delivered information to the executives, the more they wanted to know how to do it themselves. Hardin has taught them how to harness some of the reporting power as well. “The Vice President of Finance has become an expert in using SmartLists, which I really appreciate. It empowers her to get information on her own,” Hardin says.

When Hardin first started his role at Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, he quickly started using SmartConnect, but he still carried out many tasks manually. After learning more about SmartConnect, he started using more of its automation capabilities.

“We’ve set up a scheduled process to use an API to pull the information out of CobbleStone and load it into Dynamics GP once a week,” Hardin said. “That’s really made my life easier, makes the process better and smoother, and helps the whole organization because the organization is not dependent on me to have to run the process anymore. They know that it’s going to run every Wednesday, whether I’m in the office or off on vacation.”

“I still have a couple more ideas that I’ve been running by our programmers to get them to set up with SmartConnect for other things that I’m currently doing manually,” Hardin said. “That’s the beauty of SmartConnect and why I’m such a big fan. The more I use it, the more ideas I get for it, and the more ideas I get, the better our processes become.”

‘Both SmartConnect and SmartList Builder have been extremely valuable to us for analysis and reporting. They are extremely easy to use, flexible, and cost-customizable. They allow us to customize all of our needs, particularly when we have needs for information-and we always have new information.

Carl Hardin, Financial Systems Administrator

Since Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network is responsible for maintaining a network of hundreds of health providers, it’s imperative all processes are working correctly and efficiently.

To help make these processes seamless, Hardin has set up a number of SmartConnect maps, including their most used map which brings in their weekly vendor payments.

“SmartConnect is our go-to tool for pulling information into Dynamics GP,” Hardin said. “One of our most important SmartConnect maps consists of several maps that have been joined together. The ultimate goal is that it takes all of the claims from all of the providers and loads them into our Dynamics GP system.”

They also use SmartConnect maps to pull in data from their ADP payroll system and other third-party apps, like their contract management app to set up invoicing processes.

“Using the SmartConnect map that I have to load the journal entry into Dynamics GP, we can get our payroll set up in no time,” Hardin said. “We started using SmartConnect for other things because it was working so well with the applications and the interfaces we had already begun using.”

Additional aspects of mapping with SmartConnect that Hardin finds beneficial are the notification and editing features that SmartConnect offers when things don’t load into GP correctly.

“One of the things I like about SmartConnect maps is that they provide very valuable edits, like when we’re trying to load information into the system. I don’t have to struggle trying to figure out why it didn’t work. It tells me exactly why it didn’t run,” Hardin said. “I need to make sure that it’s loading good information into our ERP system, and SmartConnect doesn’t let me put bad information into Dynamics GP. That’s important to me, and that’s important to my organization. I feel confident that I can rely on SmartConnect to provide what I need to meet the important goals of our organization.”

Hardin knows SmartConnect has more capabilities and uses than he has implemented, which is one of the reasons he seeks out education to streamline and improve his work processes.

“Each time I learn something new at a conference or workshop, I try to figure out a way to make it part of what I’m doing,” Hardin said. “We started using SmartConnect for other things because it was working so well with the applications and the interfaces we had already begun using.”

The more Hardin uses SmartConnect, the more uses he has found for it. It’s made his life easier because tasks he used to do manually are now automated.

Hardin’s investment has paid dividends over time as he continues to find new ways to save time and money using SmartConnect and SmartList Builder.

“On the SmartConnect side, I would say I save at least five hours a week,” Hardin said. “With SmartList Builder, I’m saving about 10 hours a week, which is significant.”

By using SmartConnect, SmartList Builder, and Extender, eOne Solutions tools have saved Hardin and his organization over 15 hours a week of work, but for Hardin, it’s not only about gaining efficiency.

“It’s not just a benefit of the time saving, but also the output of being able to deliver good information in a timely manner—information I can rely on.”

Learn More About SmartConnect

Your company may get SmartConnect for one purpose – to integrate data. However, SmartConnect has hundreds of other functions that can help you automate and simplify various tasks, great or small.

For more information on how SmartConnect can help you with integrations and in your everyday work, contact our team at sales@eonesolutions.com or 888-319-3663 ext. 1. They are always eager to provide help and answers for your migration and integration needs.