The Challenge

VITAS Healthcare, a leading hospice care provider, needed to modernize their digital infrastructure to better serve patients and families during life's most challenging moments. Their existing systems were fragmented, making it difficult to provide seamless information access and support.

Key Pain Points:

  • Outdated content management system limiting marketing agility
  • Disconnected third-party integrations
  • Lack of comprehensive logging and monitoring
  • Need for scalable architecture supporting multiple teams

My Solution

1. Sitecore 9.3 Architecture

Designed and implemented a modern Sitecore 9.3 solution using Helix patterns:

  • Modular architecture enabling independent feature development
  • Multi-site support for different service regions
  • Personalization engine for targeted content delivery

2. Enterprise Integrations

Seamlessly connected critical business systems:

  • SendGrid for automated email communications
  • Microsoft Dynamics for CRM integration
  • Brightcove for video content management
  • Custom APIs for internal systems

3. DevOps Transformation

  • Implemented SEQ log aggregation for real-time monitoring
  • Built NightwatchJS automated testing suite
  • Migrated team workflows to Azure DevOps
  • Established CI/CD pipelines for reliable deployments

4. Team Leadership

  • Served as Scrum Master for distributed teams
  • Mentored junior developers in best practices
  • Conducted code reviews ensuring quality standards
  • Coordinated with offshore teams across time zones

Technical Implementation

Architecture Highlights

Sitecore 9.3 (Helix Pattern)
├── Foundation Layer
│   ├── Serialization
│   ├── DI Container
│   └── Common Extensions
├── Feature Layer
│   ├── Navigation
│   ├── Search
│   ├── Forms
│   └── Media
└── Project Layer
    ├── VITAS Main Site
    ├── Regional Sites
    └── Partner Portals

Key Technologies

Backend

.NET Core C# Sitecore 9.3

Frontend

React SASS Webpack

Infrastructure

Azure PaaS Application Insights

DevOps

Azure DevOps Git Docker

Testing

NightwatchJS xUnit

Results & Impact

📈

25% Increase in User Engagement

  • Improved page load times by 40%
  • Enhanced mobile responsiveness
  • Personalized content delivery
⏱️

40% Reduction in QA Time

  • Automated testing caught issues earlier
  • SEQ logging enabled rapid debugging
  • Standardized deployment process
🚀

Improved Team Velocity

  • Agile transformation increased sprint completion rate
  • Better collaboration between onshore/offshore teams
  • Reduced deployment failures by 60%

Lessons Learned

Technical Insights

  1. Helix architecture scales beautifully for enterprise Sitecore
  2. Log aggregation is essential for distributed systems
  3. Automated testing pays dividends in reduced debugging time

Business Impact

  1. Healthcare requires empathy in every technical decision
  2. Performance directly impacts user satisfaction in critical moments
  3. Team culture is as important as technical architecture

What This Means for AI Implementation

My experience at VITAS taught me how to:

  • Handle sensitive healthcare data with appropriate security
  • Build scalable architectures that can incorporate AI/ML pipelines
  • Create user experiences that serve people in vulnerable moments
  • Integrate complex enterprise systems seamlessly

These lessons directly inform my current AI consulting, where I help healthcare organizations implement private LLMs that maintain HIPAA compliance while delivering personalized support.