Feature Story

September 9, 2004

By Stacy Williams, News@Cisco

Like many healthcare professionals, physicians and medical students at the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) wanted the convenience of entering or retrieving patient information from anywhere at any time, rather than being tethered to a PC. At the same time, UMHS had to ensure rock-solid security and safeguard patient information—all while avoiding an increase in IT staff.

The answer: a Cisco wireless local area network (WLAN) that now serves the entire 4.5 million square foot Medical Center, comprised of three hospitals, several specialty clinics and the University of Michigan Medical School.

According to Joe Kryza, UMHS director of operations and technical services, about a thousand wireless devices are now in use within the Medical Center—a number that is expected to climb substantially once the Medical School is fully equipped with wireless access points. CareWeb, a browser-based, electronic clinical chart that takes information from approximately 50 different sources and presents it in a unified way, is the primary application.

Most physicians and administrative staff now use laptops during the day, resulting in substantial productivity increases, says Kryza. Activities that staff would not normally have time for, such as catching up on e-mail or searching for a specific document, now occur in the cafeteria or other locations when staff has free time. As a result, UMHS plans to convert most desktops to laptops when price points converge. "Wireless clearly has become the network of choice," says Kryza.

This productivity increase is possible without sacrificing security. Firewalls on the network, a VPN (virtual private network) and media access control-based authentication for hospital access serve to protect the networks from unauthorized access. "We're providing security to the wireless network, an important consideration given our responsibility to our patients and in light of privacy requirements from the federal government," says Kryza.

The new wireless network has also enabled new functionality, without added IT staff. CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE) makes network administration simple. Mistakes are fewer because IT staff can manage configuration of new access points and easily distribute changes to existing access points. And, by using templates, one person can configure several access points simultaneously, rather than individually configuring access points, helping to prevent configuration errors.

Based on the initial success and popularity of the Cisco WLAN, UMHS administration is planning to install Cisco Aironet 1200 Series adapter points in an additional 20 affiliated remote clinics spread throughout the Detroit metropolitan area. Just as in campus facilities, physicians and other healthcare practitioners will be able to access data for patient exams without having to go to a desktop PC.

"In addition to affording caregivers mobility, this will eliminate the expense of wiring all the remote exam rooms and putting in desktop computers," says Chuck Singer, UMHS' network services manager.

Cisco Aironet technology was the natural choice for the UMHS Wireless LAN solution. The Medical Center's wired infrastructure is built with Cisco technology. In July 2003, the Health System's network was upgraded to a 20-gigabit backbone and the latest Cisco technology. The new network features Cisco 6500 Series routers and Cisco 4500, 3750, and 6500 series switches, making advanced features and services such as Cisco Cluster Management Suite software and quality of service (QoS) for traffic prioritization available to all UMHS personnel.

"Given our imbedded Cisco technology and long experience with Cisco products and service, Cisco Aironet was a solid choice for wireless," says Singer.

In the end, it was clear that, while other vendors might support wireless in small quantities, only Cisco had an enterprise-size solution—essential for the networks in which large numbers of access points would be deployed. "We also liked what the CiscoWorks WLSE could do for us in managing what eventually will be in excess of 900 access points," continues Singer. "That made our decision easier."

UMHS has been the site of many groundbreaking accomplishments and technological advances since the Medical School first opened its doors in 1850. Today, that tradition continues with the adoption of a cutting-edge Cisco WLAN solution.

Stacy Williams is a freelance journalist located in Dutch John, UT.