When Jace Peterson assumed responsibility for all IT operations at Towner County Medical Center, he entered a highly transitional environment. The organization was only days away from moving into a new facility, and the existing technology ecosystem was handed off with limited documentation or continuity.
The medical center’s laser printer fleet reflected years of incremental growth rather than a unified strategy. Devices from multiple vendors, many nearing end-of-life, were deployed inconsistently across departments. As a result, printer reliability issues were frequent and disruptive to daily operations.
Printer Fatigue in a Critical Environment
For a one‑person IT department, printer support quickly became a disproportionate drain on time and resources, diverting attention from critical clinical systems and infrastructure stabilization during a pivotal organizational move.
“I was handling roughly 30 printer-related service tickets each week,” Peterson noted. “Toner inconsistencies, frequent paper jams, misaligned output, and unreliable integration with Epic EMR made printing unpredictable at best.”
These persistent challenges, which had carried over through multiple IT leadership transitions, highlighted the need for a more sustainable and standardized approach. To address reliability, efficiency and long-term cost concerns—while ensuring dependable output for essential medical documentation—Peterson began evaluating a transition to inkjet-based printing solutions.
The Critical Role of IT Infrastructure in Rural Patient Care
Towner County Medical Center, a non-profit community hospital, serves a wide regional population in rural North Dakota. With approximately 150 employees and offering an extensive range of services – from emergency and long‑term care to outpatient clinics and daycare – the medical center is committed to providing high-quality patient care at the lowest cost possible, supported not only by dedicated healthcare teams, but also by a dependable IT infrastructure.
Operating within Epic EMR, a cloud-based electronic health record system, reliable printing, scanning and faxing are essential to daily clinical workflows and patient services.
Epic EMR is the leading, comprehensive health software system used by large hospitals and healthcare networks, provide a comprehensive electronic health record system that streamlines patient data management, enhances clinical workflows and supports coordinated care across medical teams. In medical environments, robust and reliable IT infrastructure and technologies are essential for ensuring that critical patient information is accurately recorded, securely transmitted and readily accessible when needed.
HIPAA’s confidentiality requirements further underscore the importance of an electronic health record system, ensuring patient information is accessed, shared and printed securely.
Standardizing on Inkjet for Reliability and Performance
Peterson connected with office supply company Liberty Business Systems, Inc., who evaluated Towner County Medical Center’s printer usage and needs and recommended Epson.
“From our office in Grand Forks, Towner County Medical Center is an hour-and-a-half away. With toner-based machines, the heat can degrade the machine, which would result in a lot of service calls. Of course, we are happy to help but from a business perspective, it simply isn’t cost- or time- efficient for a technician to travel that distance for maintenance,” shared Brett Overturf, managed print specialist, Liberty Business Systems, Inc. “Epson is a differentiator with its simple, heat-free design. Because no heat is used in the ink ejection process, there’s significantly less wear on components — reducing part degradation and can result in fewer service interventions.”
Powered by PrecisionCore Heat-Free technology, that delivers outstanding quality with low waste, Epson business printers help healthcare facilities control costs and provide high-quality care. Engineered for reliability, they help minimize downtime with fewer maintenance parts and service visits and improve operations with seamless workflow integration with leading third-party solutions.
Low-cost color printing adds value for medical centers by helping staff quickly identify important information in patient records and clearly emphasizing instructions, from billing documents to wayfinding signage.
Drawing on both professional and personal experience with Epson technology, Peterson had no hesitation moving to a managed print environment built around Epson business inkjet printers. The deployment included nearly 30 Epson devices, consisting of WorkForce Enterprise A3 MFPs and WorkForce Pro A4 color and monochrome devices.
With no doubts that business inkjet could meet enterprise healthcare demands, Peterson expressed, “I knew it was going to work. Once I saw the technology in these newer devices, I had no worries at all.”
From administration and nursing to the daycare, the Epson business printers were strategically placed throughout the facility to support every department effectively and consistently.
Peterson expanded, “We’re fully utilizing the scanning and printing functions integrated with our Epic EMR. The WorkForce Enterprise MFPs are our main devices used by the business administration department to print reports, annual meeting minutes, financials, and medical records. The scan-to-email and eFax functionalities have been essential for our long-term care and skilled nursing facility as well as to contact different pharmacies. The WorkForce Pro desktop printers work flawlessly with model options in monochrome and color.”
The large, intuitive touchscreens helped ensure rapid adoption across a diverse workforce, minimizing training needs and support requests. “It’s straightforward and efficient for staff,” Peterson added.
From Constant Disruptions to Consistent Performance
Since installation, the Epson fleet has delivered what mattered most to Towner County Medical Center: reliability.
Overall, they’ve experienced near-zero downtime across the fleet, a dramatic reduction in service calls and paper jams, and fewer ink replacements thanks to high-capacity ink cartridges and packs.
One of the biggest concerns was whether the Epson printers would work reliably within the Epic cloud‑based environment. That concern quickly disappeared.
Epson drivers were successfully deployed within the Epic print server environment, allowing staff to print directly from Epic modules without workarounds or delays.
“For our staff and providers, it’s peace of mind knowing that any report or patient summary they need will print,” said Peterson. “When an ER trauma comes in at 2 a.m. and a third-party ambulance needs immediate documentation for transport to a higher-level care center, our nurses can simply hit print in Epic, no matter the module, and hand the paperwork directly to the ambulance team. That reliability brings peace of mind to everyone involved. Every time.”
Reliability That Makes a Difference in Healthcare
“The biggest benefit is staff confidence,” shared Peterson. “They trust the printers to operate without fail. We’ve eliminated printer frustrations, and now printers are at the bottom of my worry list.”
For Towner County Medical Center, moving to Epson business printers was not just an IT upgrade. It was a quality‑of‑care improvement.
By standardizing on a reliable, Epic EMR‑compatible Epson fleet supported by managed print services, the medical center eliminated a persistent operational burden, restored staff confidence and ensured that printing does not need to stand in the way of patient care.
“Consistency and reliability are no longer concerns,” Peterson concluded. “In healthcare, that reliability matters.”
*These products use only genuine Epson-brand cartridges. Other brands of ink cartridges and ink supplies are not compatible and, even if described as compatible, may not function properly or at all.
