HIMSS, ORLANDO, Florida + SAN JOSE, Calif., February 23, 2004 - Cisco Systems, Inc. today unveiled the Cisco Medical-Grade Network solution set, a suite of products, services and supporting materials aimed at offering healthcare providers an end-to-end foundation for the delivery of high-quality medical care for the 21st century. By improving availability and prioritization of critical patient information, containing costs and increasing efficiency to maximize productivity, Cisco's Medical-Grade Network solutions are helping to enable the transformation of healthcare.
Today at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) show in Orlando, Cisco (Booth # 5424) is demonstrating three components of the Medical-Grade Network Solution set: Protect and Secure for Healthcare; the Responsive Healthcare Solution; and the Interactive Healthcare Solution.
Currently shipping, Cisco's Protect and Secure for Healthcare solution takes advantage of wired, wireless and voice technologies to protect and secure information and assets across the network and the physical assets of the healthcare organization.
The Interactive and Responsive Healthcare Solutions combine data, voice and video to create a unified contact point for staff, provide intelligent distribution of and access to patient information, and facilitate shared expertise among caregivers. Today, several healthcare providers are deploying the Cisco Interactive Healthcare Solution with IP telephony solutions from Cisco IP Communications System (see separate press release entitled Healthcare Providers Realize Significant Interactive and Patient Care Benefits with IP Telephony Solutions from Cisco IP Communications Systems).
"Our approach to the infrastructure design for our new hospital is absolutely in alignment with Cisco's recommendations for the Medical-Grade Network," said George Welton, CIO of Denver-based Exempla Healthcare. "Cisco partnered with us from the very beginning - two years ago - when we started planning. Our vision was to build an ecosystem throughout our entire campus. The electronic connection of these ecosystems is analogous to the deployment of a neuro-network. It is this integration of all of our clinical and business solutions, care delivery partners and the IT technologies that enable and connect us so that we can provide the very best care to our patients. Exempla Healthcare, in concert with Cisco, has what we believe to be a world-class infrastructure to support our present and future care delivery needs."
The Cisco Medical-Grade Network: A Platform for Converged Applications
Cisco's Medical-Grade Network enables healthcare providers to build a common platform for the deployment of business productivity functions and the seamless delivery of device and location-independent applications - all supported by centralized administration and maintenance. The Medical-Grade Network addresses the unique requirements of the healthcare organization's 24x7 work environment, characterized by a network that is:
- Responsive - maximizing the effectiveness of application and device performance, intelligently distributing information to the point-of-care in support of critical decision making;
- Protected - helping to secure the virtual and physical assets of the healthcare environment;
- Resilient - a highly reliable and available infrastructure that meets the network challenges facing healthcare today and in the future, adapting to continually changing business requirements and environmental threats;
- Interactive - connecting technology and caregivers to create greater collaboration and knowledge.
"Cisco's Medical-Grade Network provides a blueprint for the delivery of 21st century medical care," said Jane Eisenberg, director of marketing, Enterprise Healthcare Solutions. "By addressing today's healthcare IT imperatives of growth, resiliency, security and flexibility, the Medical-Grade Network provides the intelligent network foundation to optimize all of the healthcare provider's information and assets."
Protected Healthcare
Cisco's Protected Healthcare environment extends beyond the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements to protect the vital information and assets of the healthcare organization. This solution includes end-to-end integrated security that delivers secure connectivity, threat defense, and trust and identity management from the data center to the desktop. Protection of the healthcare organization's assets includes physical access of the building, the data center, the physical plant and perimeter, patients and personnel and patient and staff verification.
Today, nearly 30 percent of the IT staff time is spent in securing the network from errant viruses and rogue wireless access to the network. Cisco's Protect and Secure for Healthcare solution addresses these issues by using technology to secure the network from end-to-end. In addition, it covers facilities and data centers by providing IP-based video security. This protects assets, patients and staff while also providing optional direct connectivity to law enforcement.
Together, the Medical-Grade Network offerings from Cisco help enable healthcare providers to have greater, more secure access to critical information where and when it is needed, more effective collaboration to improve patient care and staff productivity, while extending the reach of all caregivers and administrators to improve the operational efficiency throughout the healthcare continuum.
