SANTA CLARA, CA, Feb 16, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- BridgeWave Communications, the leading supplier of 4G millimeter wave backhaul solutions, today offered the top three considerations for healthcare IT managers tasked with supporting the growing network needs of their healthcare facilities. In IDC Health Insights' 2012 Top 10 Health IT Predictions, technological advances and the use of mobile devices in healthcare will drive the need for highly secure infrastructure. Network availability and consistent performance is mandatory as more bandwidth intensive applications and services are transmitted across medical campus environments. Accordingly, IT managers are faced with the challenge of investing in a reliable, scalable and cost-efficient infrastructure that helps providers improve patient care and productivity. To meet this need, BridgeWave, with its product suite of high capacity wireless gigabit Ethernet solutions, continues working with hospitals and medical facilities to support their evolving networks.
Below are three considerations for healthcare IT managers as they implement network infrastructure improvements to meet capacity and performance needs:
All Digital Healthcare Within the top 10 list, IDC Health Insights predicts that the majority of U.S. providers will have evolved from using paper medical records to using EHRs/EMRs by the end of 2012. Additionally, the adoption of medical technologies such as picture archiving and communication system (PACS), 3-D imaging, telehealth, and video consultations, offers a clearer picture of how networks are stressed to meet capacity needs. According to the National Broadband Plan(1), a single video consultation session can require a symmetric 2 Mbps connection with a good quality of service, and a 64-slice CT scan requires approximately 3,000 megabytes. As these medical initiatives become more prevalent in enabling patient care, the WAN infrastructure must be able to handle traffic demands for servers located in disparate locations. Millimeter wave wireless links provide cost-effective gigabit point-to-point connectivity ideal for medical campus environments.
Anytime, Anywhere Mobile Access As medical personnel increasingly use the latest healthcare technologies on mobile devices, the antiquated wireless 802.11a/b networks are unable to effectively transmit high bandwidth traffic. To ease network congestion and provide optimal performance, medical facilities are upgrading their in-building wireless infrastructure to 802.11n and eventually 802.11ac access points. However, consideration must also be given to the inter-building infrastructure to ensure the network experience remains the same for patients and medical personnel outside the main building. This can only be accomplished through the deployment of fiber or point-to-point gigabit wireless links.
Security Patient privacy and securing healthcare data is the primary concern for all healthcare IT organizations. Federal law requires compliance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), ensuring the highest security for transmitting and storing patient data. The challenge for Healthcare IT managers is to find an affordable solution that meets both business and federal requirements for secure transmission of healthcare data. Although fiber is considered a preferred choice, the excessive costs and lengthy deployment times are not practical in today's business climate. A more affordable option -- gigabit Ethernet wireless links -- offer the capacity, HIPAA-compliant security, 'five-nines' availability, and can be deployed in days.
"As the healthcare industry adapts to evolving medical technologies, IT managers are faced with securing patient data and maintaining five-nines availability for mission-critical healthcare data exchanges," said Amir Makleff, CEO at BridgeWave. "BridgeWave's links are designed to address these challenges, and we are proud to continue providing high-capacity, secure wireless solutions to support the rapidly changing needs of our healthcare customers."
BridgeWave's solutions help healthcare providers create HIPAA-compliant wireless connectivity solutions with greater flexibility and lower costs compared to fiber-based alternatives. BridgeWave has successfully worked with some of the nation's leading hospitals and medical facilities, including Rush University Medical Center, Franciscan Health System, and Holy Name Medical Center.
BridgeWave will be showcasing their wireless backhaul solutions at the 2012 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, February 21 - 23, 2012, Venetian Sands Expo Center, Booth # 4166, Las Vegas, NV.
For more information about BridgeWave's healthcare solutions, please visit: http://www.bridgewave.com/solutions/healthcare.cfm .
About BridgeWave Communications BridgeWave Communications is the leading supplier of high-capacity 4G millimeter wave backhaul and gigabit wireless connectivity solutions. BridgeWave's carrier-grade, point-to-point wireless FlexPort(R) links provide a future-proof mobile backhaul solution for carriers and mobile operators looking to support 4G/LTE/WiMAX adoption. PicoHaul(TM) links provide the same carrier-grade high-capacity, small-cell backhaul for dense cell deployments. The company's 60 GHz and 80 GHz links offer up to ten times the bandwidth of lower-frequency license-free and licensed-band wireless links, while providing superior interference immunity and data security. Founded in 1999, BridgeWave is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. For more information, visit http://www.bridgewave.com .
(1)National Broadband Plan, Chapter 10: Healthcare, 10.5 Closing the Health IT Broadband Connectivity Gap, http://ht.ly/8YYIn
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Joe Schraml
BridgeWave Communications
408.567.6927
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