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Fall 2008

Volume 1, Number 4

More Hospitals Are Becoming Unplugged

OVERVIEW

More hospitals are offering wireless networks than ever before according to a recent article in Healthcare IT News. The primary reason is that clinicians and patients expect anywhere, anytime access to the Internet.

FLORIDA HOSPITAL

Florida Hospital in Orlando ― the largest Protestant health system in the country with 16,000 staff members and more than 2,000 beds ― has already installed a wireless network in three of its seven hospitals. It is in the process of assessing costs and timelines to deploy wireless networks at the rest of its hospitals. Like many other hospitals around the country, Florida Hospital is encountering complaints about spotty cell phone access. As clinicians and others add more applications to their smart phones, the complaints multiply.

According to Todd Frantz, Florida Hospital's associate chief technology officer, they installed a MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network, provided by MobileAccess ― based in Vienna, Virginia ― because it was modular and could grow over time. While Frantz did not identify the exact cost, he indicated that it was expensive and estimates a cost of $1 per square foot. "It's extremely difficult to imagine a return on investment," he said. "It's like air conditioning." Frantz expects that hospitals everywhere will have to convert to wireless facilities. "It's not a matter of if, it's when," he said. 

RECENT REPORT CITES GROWTH

A recent report published by the New York based market research firm Kalorama Information also cites increased demand for wireless in hospitals. The report titled "Wireless in Healthcare 2008 (The Market for Bluetooth, RFID, Zigbee, UWB WWAN, WMAN, WLAN, and Other Technologies)" suggests that the compound annual growth of wireless sales in healthcare will jump from 22.9 percent to 29.5 percent, raising sales from $2.7 billion to $9.6 billion in five years. Sales of wireless devices in healthcare have grown about 23 percent annually since 2005 and will continue to rise. In 2003, 25 percent of U.S. hospitals had wireless which is projected to be between 80 and 90 percent in 2010. Hospitals will be earmarking large portions of their future budgets for wireless development.

OTHER HOSPITALS

The Indianapolis-based Clarian Health Partners is two years into a five-year plan for wireless networking and already has 100 percent coverage in two of its facilities and plans to add the same wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling antenna coverage in its remaining four hospitals. "The future of healthcare is mobile," said Edwin Simcox, director of enterprise technology planning for Clarian. "It is not fixed-assets IT." He also views wireless as expensive but said that they studied ROI in detail and were able to justify it on a cost basis. They believe that putting in a single antenna system drives down operational costs in maintaining that antenna system.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia also has a wireless network project underway with a cost of $2.5 to $3.0 million. "The ROI is almost immeasurable when you start throwing safety and patient care into the equation" says Wil Ankerstjerne, program manager of mobility, architecture, and design.  back to top

The complete article titled "Hospitals Unplugged" by Bernie Monegain was published online on July 1, 2008 in Healthcare IT News (www.healthcareitnews.com)

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