Parkland Health Hospital System Success Story
Delivering Better Patient Care Through Better Microsoft Support
Parkland Health Hospital System, one of the largest public hospital systems in Texas, delivers essential medical care to Dallas County residents. For Jeff Maxfield, Director of Technical Services, the mission is clear: “We care for those who care for our patients.” That means ensuring Parkland’s small engineering team has reliable, responsive Microsoft support to keep critical systems—including SharePoint, project workflows, and clinical processes—fully operational.
When Microsoft’s Unified Support model became slow, costly, and unaligned with Parkland’s patient-care priorities, the organization turned to US Cloud as a more responsive and cost-effective alternative.
Quick Stats
Organization: Parkland Health Hospital System
Location: Texas, USA
Industry: Healthcare
Size: Extra-Large (10,000 – 100,000 employees)
Why They Replaced Unified: Inefficient Escalation, Critical Workflow Risks, Support Focus on Selling Instead of Solving
Microsoft Support Challenges
Despite their size and complexity, Parkland operates with a lean IT team responsible for the entire hospital and emergency department. Their Microsoft support experience had become a strain on both resources and outcomes:
- Limited staff capacity: A small engineering team supporting a massive clinical operation.
- Time constraints: No bandwidth to constantly research new technologies or chase down support paths.
- Escalation inefficiencies: Microsoft tickets often stalled or bounced across queues, leaving Parkland without timely answers.
- Hours disputes: Microsoft repeatedly denied work as “out of scope,” asked for new contract buckets, and focused more on billable hours than resolution.
- Critical workflow risk: A SharePoint workflow powering project sites for every hospital initiative—clinical and operational—was at risk of failing as Microsoft prepared to retire 2010 workflows.
For Parkland, any delay or technical misstep wasn’t just inconvenient—it had a direct, downstream impact on patient care.
From Runaround to Runway: A Turning Point in Support for Parkland
Parkland’s motivation to find a new support model solidified after a three-year unresolved ticket with Microsoft.
The workflow in question was essential—it automatically provisioned sites for every hospital project, from surgical innovations to facility updates. When Microsoft announced the end of support for SharePoint 2010 workflows in 2019, Parkland immediately opened a ticket. But after three years of back-and-forth, hours disputes, and inconsistent guidance, the problem remained unresolved.
Microsoft ultimately halted work until a new contract was signed, stating the issue required a different “bucket of hours.”
As Jeff put it:
“They were all about contracts. All about money. They were not about taking care of me. They were not about making sure that my patients weren’t impacted.”
At that point, Parkland knew they needed a partner focused on outcomes—not upsells.
The US Cloud Difference
From the moment Parkland onboarded with US Cloud, the experience shifted dramatically. After switching from Unified Support to US Cloud, he was finally able to say, “They put me first.”
Below are some more specific ways in which Jeff and his team felt taken care of.
Dedicated Engineering Ownership
US Cloud assigned a single engineer to lead the case—someone who met directly with Jeff and internal stakeholders, translated complex technical nuances, and handled every aspect of the project. Jeff noted,
“The engineer was brilliant… real technical when I needed him to be, real generic when I needed him to be.”
Transparent Account Management
Even when Jeff gave the green light to “do whatever it takes,” Parkland’s account manager consistently communicated every step, every cost, and every change in advance.
- Weekly updates
- Clear scoping
- No surprises
- No disputes over hours or categories
Full-Stack Expertise
US Cloud brought in SharePoint developers to rebuild and modernize the workflow—precisely the specialized expertise Parkland didn’t have on staff.
Rapid Results Compared to Microsoft
When Microsoft finally disabled 2010 workflows, Parkland’s new system continued functioning with only one minor email bug—quickly fixed.
- Microsoft resolution time: 3 years, unresolved
- US Cloud resolution time: ~6 months, fully resolved
Jeff summarized the experience simply:
“It was phenomenal. I can’t tell you how great it was to feel like somebody was putting me first.”
Ongoing Impact of Third-Party Microsoft Support
Since moving to US Cloud, Parkland has experienced meaningful technical and operational improvements:
- Consistent, fast support: Issues are owned—not bounced—until fully resolved.
- Reliable SharePoint environment: Mission-critical workflows run seamlessly without jeopardizing patient operations.
- Improved internal confidence: Leadership quickly approved the transition once cost savings and engineering quality were confirmed.
- A trusted safety net: With US Cloud’s escalation path to Microsoft available as a backstop, Parkland gets all the benefits of independent support—without losing OEM access when needed.
- More time for patient-impacting work: Jeff’s team can now focus on value-driven IT initiatives rather than navigating contract complexities or chasing tickets.
As Jeff described his daily reality before US Cloud:
“I’ll bring my dog into the office and tell him what’s going on… Sometimes that’s what talking to Microsoft is like.”
Today, the difference is notable: talking with US Cloud yield answers, not silence.
Conclusion
Parkland Health Hospital System’s mission relies on technology that works—and support that shows up when it matters. With limited staff, tight budgets, and the need for uninterrupted clinical operations, Parkland found in US Cloud a partner that matched their urgency and shared their commitment to patient care.
By delivering faster resolutions, hands-on engineering, transparent communication, and substantial cost savings, US Cloud empowered Parkland’s IT team to do what they do best: support the people who care for Dallas County’s patients.
