Many healthcare organizations have figured out that it just doesn’t make sense to have a wide variety of IT systems that can’t communicate with each other or more importantly, share data, all under the same umbrella.
Some are turning to outsourcing, others to the cloud. But McLaren Health Care of Michigan, which operates over 200 medical facilities in Michigan and employs 17,400 health care professionals, has decided the answer for its sprawling health network is to convert its information technology system-wide to support both clinical and financial functions by sprucing up its integrated network capabilities through US Signal, a provider of network infrastructure, which was announced today in a press release.
With hospitals and healthcare institutions facing increasing costs everywhere they turn, they’re starting to look at administration and where money can be saved. Improving network capabilities so that doctors can share notes, images and other patient data is a popular, and sensible, solution.
"McLaren is growing rapidly and wanted to partner with a service provider that could deliver a solution to support its current technology needs and provide products and services to support future network and infrastructure enhancements," said Brett Alexander, vice president of sales with US Signal, in the press release.
US Signal's Virtual Ethernet Service (VES) is doing more than just pulling all the disparate IT systems at McLaren together. Its solution will also reduce the amount of hardware needed at each McLaren facility; improve disaster recovery, ensuring adequate back-up and system support, crucial for healthcare sites; provide better connectivity throughout the McLaren system, integrating all facilities; support technologies such as VoIP and video, and offer secured guest Internet access.
The way VES works is to enable long-haul Ethernet traffic to be transported across a telecommunications switching backbone that will provide the flexible bandwidth options McLaren requires to its Wide Area Network (WAN).
Hospitals in the UK are just beginning to recognize the value of IT and integrated network connectivity. Gill Hitchcock writes at the Guardian Professional that the Department of Health informatics’ director enthusiastically endorsed it at a recent conference and went on to say that the UK, which is somewhat behind other countries, will have “world-beating” informatics in the next five to 10 years.
IMS Health, which has been tracking the development of integrated networks since 1994, rates healthcare organizations on each network’s ability to operate as a unified organization in eight categories: integration, integrated technology, contractual capabilities, outpatient utilization, financial stability, services and access, hospital utilization, and physicians.
Without integrated technology, hospitals can be left in the dust as healthcare organizations around them ramp up their abilities to stay in touch, anywhere, anytime, especially crucial in these days of mandated electronic health records (EHRs).
A huge worry for many healthcare institutions is that their IT systems won’t support the new EHR requirements. Collaborating with an infrastructure provider like US Signal helps McLaren to feel comfortable that they will keep up.
"Utilizing these services will enhance our connectivity and technological infrastructure while decreasing our hardware investments," said Vince Levi, enterprise network services manager of Anthelio Healthcare Solutions Inc., IT Partners for McLaren Health Care, in the press release. "This plan fits perfectly with our growth strategy of better functions and investments."
Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin
