Healthcare Industry- Wireless case study

About the company

This government-funded health system is considered to be the cornerstone of patient healthcare, public health, community wellness, and medical education in Riverside County. This health system consists of several primary and specialty clinics, a 439-bed medical center in Moreno Valley, departments of Behavioral and Public Health, and 10 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Having operated for more than 100 years, they serve as a significant economic pillar and is one of the county’s largest employers. Not only does the organization employ thousands of supporting staff and medical personnel, but it also contributes billions of dollars to the region. Their health system provides services such as an emergency department and trauma center, pharmacy, and in-patient treatment. Within the region, it serves as the only organization with a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. 

They were certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center and have received the Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement award from the American Heart Association for the last three consecutive years. They were also accredited by the American College of Surgeons as a Level II Trauma Center. They were bestowed the Baby Friendly Hospital award by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Finally, they were named a top performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission.

CHALLENGES

This health organization’s main pain point was an increase in the signal strength of their wireless environment for their employees. Having a large medical workforce and supporting staff, the IT staff rendered it necessary to improve the organization’s network connectivity in their office and clinical environments. This in turn could improve workflow and prevent any interruptions as workers work with colleagues or provide patient-centered care.

The organization needed a large-scale assessment of its current wireless environment. By performing a wireless assessment, the output from this survey would provide documentation identifying the recommended locations for access points and other necessary information that is important for a successful wireless implementation. A wireless survey is the process of designing and planning a wireless network. This is important to help an IT team deliver the desired wireless coverage, network capacity, and quality of service (QoS). Surveys are necessary for a team to test for electromagnetic interference, called RF interference, and to determine the optimal locations for access point installation. An access point is a hardware device that serves as a node on a local area network; it allows wireless and wired devices to connect through a standardized wireless, such as Wi-Fi.

Assessment and solution

This large-scale project required outside help and expertise, since the health organization needed wireless site surveys to be performed at a total of 11 locations and to determine the appropriate AP sites for the most effective network connectivity. With this in mind, they reached out to PM2NET for their wireless expertise.

PM2NET was tasked with completing a survey using Ekahau ESS at the 11 locations for the customer. Engineers were sent on-site to perform the necessary tasks, such as on-site AP-on-a-Stick/Survey Hours, and the necessary documentation that included key information for their wireless implementation.

advantages

The organization needed a more effective network for its staff members, administrative staff, and patients. This was not only to help improve the day-to-day tasks of administrators and promote clinician workflow but to ultimately improve patient care. The organization needed a more effective network for its staff members, administrative staff, and patients. This was not only to help improve the day-to-day tasks of administrators and promote clinician workflow but to ultimately improve patient care. This is because most cloud-based electronic health record systems require internet access, which clinicians use to document patient data, create lab orders, send medication orders, generate radiology requests, and communicate with other hospital departments.

Selecting PM2NET and their experienced wireless engineers proved advantageous for their efforts, since the engineers were able to perform wireless surveys using Ekahau ESS at the 11 locations. They provided the necessary documentation and were able to provide the recommended sites for AP placement. While employees eventually benefited from PM2NET’s efforts, employing PM2NET allowed for the reliable and cost-effective deployment of their project, leaving their team’s IT department satisfied.