Healthcare IT News - September 2008 - (Page 16) 16 Healthcare IT News September 2008 ■ hoSpItalS & IdNs www.HealthcareITNews.com Maine hospital brings voice, data together By Molly MerrIll, Associate Editor PORTLAND, ME – Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine, is in the first phase of a multi-phase project to replace the hospital’s main facility. About a year ago, the hospital also began to look for a replacement for its out-of-date voice and data infrastructure. “We needed to deploy infrastructure solutions for voice and data in the current hospital, which Shaw decided the hospiwas going to remain opertal needed a shared voice ational, as well as the new and data infrastructure that hospital, said Dale Shaw, was based on VoIP, or voice IT operations manager at over Internet protocol. Mercy Hospital. “It was a “It [would] allow us to big task, but our existing unify our data and voice switches and routers simDale Shaw services to save on circuit ply needed to be replaced, and we wanted to position our- costs,” Shaw said. A traditional phone system would selves so we could take advantage of new medical technologies that require separate circuits for voice communications and data comassist in delivering patient care.” Mercy Hospital’s new location. munications, but with a new infrastructure the hospital could deploy Artromick Understands Mobile Computing Artromick understands reliability. It’s about ease-of-use. It’s about That is the foundation upon which there is more to mobile computing carts than simply mounting a computer to a battery and wheels. It’s about providing an open platform of computing and mobility options that gives your facility choices. New! Artromick develops and delivers an advanced line of mobile computing cart solutions to the acute care market. From the trim-line Artromick TX20 WorkStation, to the advanced Artromick TX10 MedServer, to our NEW NX10 compact solution developed to uniquely accommodate laptop computers Artromick offers your IT team a wide selection of next-generation products designed for superior performance. Artromick understands mobile computing, and what it takes to ensure a successful healthcare IT program in your facility. NX10 Mobile Computing WorkStation TX10 IMC TX20 Advancing Healthcare Delivery www.artromick.com e l Connect: artroMICk 0908 a single circuit for both voice and data at two remote locations, said Francis Pettepit, senior account executive at Covisia, a Waltham, Mass-based IT company. The hospital used technology from Cisco, called Unified Communications, which unifies voice, video, data and mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks. The technology would serve to boost the hospital’s communications, including its nurse call system and call–center services for patient scheduling, appointment confirmation and Francis Pettepit billing. Covisia Solutions Inc., a Cisco Healthcare Vertical Select Partner, designed and implemented the technology and provides support for the hospital. Covisia’s first job was upgrading the network infrastructure and bringing it up to date for the new technology, said Pettepit. Shaw said the company’s local presence continues to benefit the implementation. Covisia’s Maine office is located in South Portland. “We worked with Mercy hospital with the design that it would fit their needs moving forward,” said Pettepit. This month Mercy will open a 151,000 square-foot, full-service surgical facility – phase one of the project – at its new campus, said a spokesman for the hospital. The new campus will allow Mercy to modernize and improve the delivery of healthcare services, he said. The relocation is expected to be completed by 2018. The technology has been deployed at four primary care centers and one training building, and it will be deployed at the new hospital this month. “Implementing the technology makes moves, adds and changes to the network seamless,” said Pettepit. “The city recently had an environmental problem in an area where one of our scheduling departments was located,” said Shaw. “Because they were using VoIP phones, they simply unplugged their phones and then drove to one of our other locations and plugged them in. They were taking calls in the new location within minutes of having to leave their existing building,” he added. The new technology also will allow for an integrated emergency response system, which will eventually be able to direct fire, police or any other authority straight to the patient’s room number, Pettepit said. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: MerCY 0908 800 848 6462 l http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.artromick.com http://HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9889 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=9939
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