SYDNEY, Australia, July 28, 2006 - Mater Health Services (MHS) in Brisbane is working with Cisco Systems® to help improve patient outcomes and the medical working environment through the innovative deployment of Cisco® wireless networking. By integrating its complex voice and data networks under a single Cisco Unified Communications platform, MHS will save money, boost productivity and improve the vital job of hospital communications.
MHS Brisbane's facilities annually care for around half a million people and employ more than 5,000 staff. The new Medical-Grade Network will dramatically increase MHS' wireless capabilities and provide the foundation for it to roll out a number of innovative health care applications. The network will be installed in MHS' seven hospitals over the next 18 months, including its new Mothers' Hospital, due to open in early 2008.
The wireless network is part of Cisco's contribution to the Mater's Smart Hospital consortium, which was founded with Cisco Gold Certified Partner IBM, in May. Cisco is the second signatory to the consortium, which aims to use information and communications technology to fundamentally improve health care delivery and clinical outcomes for patients.
Malcolm Thatcher, the chief information officer at MHS Brisbane, said: "Choosing the right networking partner was absolutely critical to the future of our Smart Hospital vision, as the network is at the heart of what we want to achieve. Cisco was the only vendor which demonstrated its thorough understanding of the health sector and is making significant investments in the area."
Cisco wireless technology has already proved its worth in operating theatres at the MHS private adults' hospital in South Brisbane. The hospital deployed an application on specially mounted medical-grade point-of-care terminals connected to its wireless local-area network (LAN), based on Cisco 4100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers working in tandem with Cisco Aironet® 1000 Series Lightweight Access Points.
The touch-screen application tracks the full loop of surgical instruments as they progress through the sterilisation process, into the theatre and back out. The wireless solution reduces the need for extra cables in the theatre space, thereby providing sterilisation benefits in addition to its tracking function. MHS has committed to deploying the solution across all of its 32 operating theatres.
Another benefit has been to visiting private practitioners using MHS' secure virtual private network (VPN) service. Doctors can bring their wirelessly enabled laptops into the theatre and access patients' clinical information from their own office systems. Previously, doctors copied patients' files onto their laptops before travelling to MHS. Now, they no longer have to leave the theatre to make a call if critical information is missing, resulting in less "open" time for anesthetised patients and better patient outcomes.
The Cisco Queensland regional manager, John Winters, said: "The benefits which Internet Protocol-based networking can provide organisations such as MHS go well beyond e-mail and Web searches towards true real-time interactivity with the information the care providers need. Cisco is delighted to be helping MHS improve productivity through the intelligent wireless Internet technologies."
About Mater Health Services
Established in 1906 by the Sisters of Mercy, Mater Health Services was founded on the spirit of compassionate service to the sick and needy and continues in that mission today. Each year around half a million people receive care through MHS Brisbane's health care network, which features seven hospitals and employs more than 5,000 staff. MHS was incorporated in 2002 and is recognised nationally for its specialty services including maternal fetal medicine, child and youth mental health, cancer care, urology and neurosurgery.
