Like many healthcare organizations in the United States, Consulate Health Care was faced with significant challenges when it came to infrastructure support for improving care, attaining better clinical measures and securing health data. The healthcare services company recently installed a wireless network upgrade through Aruba Networks, Inc., to help connect the company’s more than 200 care centers in 21 states.
“This Wi-Fi deployment positions Consulate Health Care for mobile point of care solutions, telemedicine opportunities and of course, the connectivity that is required for our electronic health record platform,” explained Mark Crandall, Consulate’s chief information officer. “We needed to find a partner that would be able to help us roll out a scalable, supportable solution to our care centers across the 21 states that we serve.”
It’s a problem facing many healthcare organizations. While Wi-Fi is often seen as a technology that supports patient care and safety, regulations regarding accessing hospital networks with personally owned devices are complicated. Also hospitals are acutely aware of their own liability if the security of a patient’s personal medical data is breached.
Consulate’s new Wi-Fi installation currently includes 1,900 access points deployed throughout its corporate offices and care centers, which will increase to 2,700 when the rollout is complete. The company also uses Aruba mobility controllers and remote access points (RAPs) to support its corporate offices and remote employees.
The organization also installed Aruba ClearPass to enable guest access and support the organization’s bring your own device (BYOD) policy. ClearPass reportedly gives care center patients and family members access the Internet without affecting the internal network. Consulate also uses Aruba’s AirWave Network Management System to manage, update, secure and troubleshoot the network.
“Mobility has become strategic in allowing healthcare organizations to meet their business objectives,” said Jeff Dolce, area vice president for Aruba Networks. “With a secure and reliable mobility infrastructure in place, these organizations can innovate in areas like mobile patient care, electronic medical records and telemedicine. Consulate Health Care is a great example of how the right wireless infrastructure can enable more efficient and effective healthcare.”
Edited by
Alisen Downey
