Enterprise Communications Solutions for Healthcare

By their very nature, healthcare institutions do mission-critical work. In this context, communications and networks have become vital for the healthcare community. Worldwide, healthcare organizations are leveraging the latest enterprise voice and data communications technology to provide remote diagnostics, electronic health records, contact centers for patients, medical image archiving systems, continuous medical training and much more. Alcatel's solutions for healthcare offer physicians, administrators and patients full mobility and advanced voice services, while keeping administration simple and reducing costs.

At Alcatel, we understand the communications and networking needs of healthcare institutions. Indeed, we've built voice and data networks for healthcare organizations of every type, from multi-site regional healthcare centers to local hospitals and clinics.
Alcatel's enterprise communications solutions for healthcare are based on the company's award-winning IP networking, IP telephony and Contact Center products, which provide a powerful infrastructure that operates continuously and securely.

KEY ISSUES FOR HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS


Availability

- Healthcare resources must support medical personnel, administrators and patients across large medical campuses and multiple sites, providing "always on" connectivity to a high-speed network. A network capable of continuous operation is one that has easily managed, self-healing components.

- Increasingly, medical resources must be available for remote access, to enable highly skilled physicians in major medical centers to provide diagnostic assistance to remote or underserved areas. For example, a broadband video link between a major teaching hospital and a local maternity clinic can be vital for enabling leading pediatricians to consult on difficult cases.

Security


- Medical institutions must provide an open environment for its users with broad network access while protecting and securing the network from attacks and misbehavior of an increasingly computer-literate population

- Electronic health records or images stored in picture archive communications systems (PACS) must be protected, in compliance with government legislation, yet must be available for consultation by the medical community, including physicians, administrators, healthcare insurers and patients.


Mobility

- Both wired and wireless mobility are crucial for healthcare networks. Healthcare professionals and administrators roam throughout buildings and across medical sites. Access to computing resources (such as printers, shared drives, and application servers) - anywhere, at any time, on any device- is crucial for delivering quality healthcare services. Sharing the same infrastructure to also deliver wireless voice services, with a high quality of service, helps contain costs and improves quality of care at the same time. Finally, intelligent management of radio frequencies within the hospital is essential to avoid interference with highly sensitive medical devices.

- Patient monitoring at home is also on the rise, a vital service for the fragile elderly, the handicapped and convalescent patients. Telemedicine and managed care services, supported by classic and video contact centers, are increasingly being used by nurses and doctors to keep in touch with patients and to monitor vital signs.


Access to advanced features


- The working environment for health professionals is becoming increasingly complex. Healthcare institutions rely on a range of advanced voice applications, such as directory services, voicemail, and conferencing. Seamless access to information, through a combination of these tools, is crucial to helping health professionals improve productivity.

- Many healthcare providers worldwide have set up contact centers for patients. Skilled nurse practitioners offer callers assistance with medical decision-making. The service both reassures patients and reduces the overload to hospital emergency services.
- Medical images play a vital role in modern patient care. Many institutions are therefore installing picture archive communication systems to manage, archive and distribute medical images within their radiology department and across the healthcare community.


Risk-free migration


- Many healthcare institutions have a variety of existing voice and data networks. New IP-based systems must offer risk-free migration, while providing support for a mixed-media environment.

-A hospital network with multiple phone systems connected over a variety of WAN connections might want to retain its WAN connections in a hybrid arrangement, while migrating to the benefits of IP connectivity.

-A medical research center might need analog connections for its residential facilities, digital connections in staff offices, soft phone capabilities for traveling faculty, IP connections for satellite campuses, and wireless connections for IT staff.


Cost reduction


- Healthcare institutions manage scarce resources, making cost reduction for voice and data communications a real priority. IP telephony and IP networking offer a proven path for cost reduction. Likewise, simplified network manageability offers costs savings without increased staff.


ALCATEL'S ENTERPRISE COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS

Enterprise communications solutions for healthcare are based on the company's award-winning products:

- Alcatel's IP networking solutions are built on the company's next-generation OmniSwitch products.

Alcatel's IP telephony solutions rely on the company's:

-Industry-leading OmniPCX Enterprise

-Breakthrough IP phones, called IP Touch, and
-Innovative Unified Communications applications for unified messaging and instant conferencing and collaboration.

- Alcatel’s software subsidiary Genesys also delivers financial institutions contact center solutions designed to improve services and reduce costs. Learn more


KEY BENEFITS

Alcatel's solutions address the key issues for healthcare institutions, including security, availability and mobility, while providing access to advanced services and risk-free migration. Key benefits include:

- Cost reduction
- Connectivity for healthcare professionals, administrators and patients
- Access to a local high-speed network
- Hotlines and contact centers