Case Study: CommonSpirit Health's Journey to Infrastructure Control with Concourse

Executive Summary 

When one of the largest healthcare organizations in the United States faced an unexpected system outage because of an unplanned vendor upgrade, they needed a partner who could provide stability, control, and security. This case study explores how Concourse's infrastructure solutions empowered CommonSpirit Health (formerly Dignity Health) to take command of their IT environment, supporting their significant growth through multiple mergers, including a transformational expansion that made them the largest healthcare organization in the United States. 

The Challenge: Loss of Control 

CommonSpirit Health approached Concourse after a critical failure in their CRM environment. Their previous vendor had upgraded their SQL Server instance without notice, causing system-wide failures that impacted essential operations. 

"We experienced a significant disruption when our previous vendor unexpectedly upgraded our SQL instance. This resulted in a complete breakdown of our acknowledgement process, leaving us unable to send acknowledgement letters for over a month. It highlighted the critical need for a more transparent and collaborative partner." 

"The experience further solidified our decision to seek a new partner. We realized we needed a vendor who would not only provide technical expertise but also take ownership and work collaboratively to resolve any issues. This led us to Concourse, where we found the partnership and support we were looking for." 

The Solution: Purpose Built Infrastructure  

Concourse implemented a comprehensive hosting solution for CommonSpirit Health's nonprofit-focused CRM system with several key features that addressed their primary concerns: 

1. Client-Controlled Upgrades: Unlike their previous vendor, Concourse doesn't perform upgrades without explicit client authorization, except for critical security updates. All upgrades follow a transparent, communicated schedule. 

1. Dedicated Infrastructure: Following the "one VM, one purpose" philosophy, Concourse built right-sized, purpose-specific virtual machines with buffers for peak traffic periods. 

1. Network Isolation: Implementation of dedicated VLANs and strict network segregation ensures CommonSpirit Health's data remains secure and isolated. 

1. Development Environments: Separate development environments allowed their technical team to customize their CRM without affecting production systems. 

"One thing that sold me was you actually have processes for working with clients," explains Curtis. " [The] team could walk us through when things would happen. We were never worried about being in the blind, that Concourse would just do something without telling us." 

Implementation and Results 

The implementation required extensive technical due diligence and careful migration of CommonSpirit Health's custom plugins and integrations. 

"Concourse was more than just a vendor; they were a true partner. Their team consistently worked alongside us, offering exceptional support and making us feel like we were in it together. It was a welcome change from feeling lost in the shuffle of a larger company." 

This infrastructure has since supported CommonSpirit Health through remarkable growth, including their merger with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and expansion across 24 states with 80 foundations. CommonSpirit Health raised $314 million in fundraising operations in 2024. 

Key Benefits 

1. Direct Database Access: "Probably the highest benefit of moving to Concourse is being able to have permissions to load code when you want to load code," Curtis explains. 

1. Improved Performance: "It was much faster than the way [the previous vendor] had configured the environment," notes Curtis. 

1. Security and Compliance: "We chose Concourse because they offer a truly high-value solution. A key factor is their robust approach to data security, especially their encryption at rest. Their data storage practices are as good as, if not better than, any other philanthropy vendor we've worked with. This gives us confidence and peace of mind knowing our data is protected." 

1. Collaborative Partnership: "When things come up, it isn't 'hey, you guys figure it out,' it's 'hey, let's work together to get to the answer.' It's a partnership and solution-oriented group of folks." 

Looking Forward 

After nearly a decade of partnership, Concourse continues to support CommonSpirit Health as the organization evolves. As Curtis explains, "Concourse for us is the linchpin in order to accomplish the goals we need to. Without a database, without a server to have the data sit on top of and be able to do all the different customizations, all the different work within the environment—we can't fundraise at the level we fundraise as an organization." 

As CommonSpirit Health looks to the future, they continue to value the stability and partnership that Concourse provides. Their data infrastructure serves as a central hub where information from multiple sources—including patient data, fundraising platforms, and other systems—converges to support their philanthropic mission across their nationwide network of foundations. 

As Curtis notes, "The team sold the most—just the incredible partnership we have with them, and we continue to enjoy working with everyone at Concourse."