Healthcare Provider Replaces Cisco Network, Deploys Aruba Gigabit Wireless Network with ClearPass Security to Bring a Mobile-First Approach to over 100,000 Patients Annually
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company (NYSE:HPE), today announced
that Medical Center Health (MCH) Odessa, a 400+ bed regional medical
center serving Odessa, Texas and the surrounding 17 counties, has
deployed an Aruba gigabit wireless network with ClearPass to bring
greater efficiency to staff and physicians, improve patient outcomes and
prepare for the provider’s Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives.
Founded more than 65 years ago, MCH Odessa has expanded from a single
facility to a family of healthcare providers delivering a broad range of
advanced medical services. The System consists of a Level II Trauma
Center, regional hospital, a teaching hospital and a health care system
that includes satellite outpatient services and integrated physician
services. MCH also operates eight clinics.
MCH Odessa has been grappling with the need to provide a more mobile
work environment that increases the productivity and flexibility of
clinicians and staff, and at the same time, improves the patient
experience. The provider wanted a network that could deliver improved
performance and the ability to offer tiered levels of user access. They
also needed the wireless network to support their cloud-based EMR system
and a virtual desktop environment wherein physicians, caregivers, staff,
patients and guests can use their own mobile devices in MCH Odessa’s
buildings, and access critical applications like Vocera for Voice over
IP (VoIP) communications. Finally, with a number of planned IoT
initiatives for medical device and personnel tracking, as well as
applications like tracking hand washing across their facilities, MCH
Odessa knew their wireless network had to evolve to be able to meet
their future requirements.
Working with technology partner, CJ Communications, MCH Odessa conducted
an informal Proof of Concept (POC) and quickly determined that the Aruba
solution was easy to manage and user-friendly. According to Brad Shook,
Director of IT Operations for MCH Odessa, Aruba’s combination of
manageability, security and technology that could help the provider
“future proof” for additional mobile and IoT devices coming onto their
network, as well as an overall lower cost of ownership, sealed the deal.
“We were impressed with how Aruba handled everything, from
implementation to management to the security aspects of the network,”
Shook said. “With our current need to address a variety of mobile and
medical devices on the network and our planned IoT initiatives, securing
all of these devices as we onboard them is crucial. The Aruba network
gives us the foundation we need now and as we move forward with our IoT
plans.”
MCH Odessa deployed Aruba
802.11ac access points, Aruba
Mobility Controllers, AirWave
network management and ClearPass
Guest and Policy
Manager. The provider is particularly pleased with AirWave’s
graphical user interface and the ability to see which users are
consuming the most bandwidth, the type of traffic they are generating
and the quality of service devices are receiving. Shook noted that the
ability to play back the movement of a device through the wireless
network so his IT team can track quality through the entire lifecycle of
the device is a huge benefit.
With its role-based access, ClearPass was also a major factor in MCH
Odessa’s decision to select Aruba. The provider is intent on offering
tiered services – like a hotel – so that staff, clinicians, patients and
guests can have different levels of access. While patients would have
free access, MCH Odessa would like to offer visitors and guests a
premium level for which they can purchase a 24-hour pass – a move that
would help them recover the costs of the Internet connection.
In the future, MCH Odessa plans to focus on improved voice
communications, asset tracking to prevent equipment from being lost,
stolen or destroyed by mistake and managing clinical Service Level
Agreements (SLAs). An example of the latter would be the ability to give
patients an SLA that guarantees their nurse will be in their room a
certain number of times per day. MCH Odessa can then use the wireless
network to show how much time a nurse has spent in the patient’s room
and subsequently, generate reports the provider can share with patients.
MCH Odessa’s Senior Vice President and CIO, Gary Barnes, estimates that
the provider is already at about 54% client virtual environment and
their goal is to get to 95-98% virtual. “We want to give all users the
ability to use their tablet or whatever mobile device they have to
securely pull up a virtual desktop – whether through Citrix or just
accessing the apps they need directly,” Barnes said. “Having the Aruba
solutions in place will help us move quickly to this mobile-first
environment, which will in turn help us meet our goals of greater
productivity, iron-clad security for our IoT initiatives and of course,
our most important objective, better patient care.”
About Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, is a leading provider of
next-generation networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes
worldwide. The company delivers IT solutions that empower organizations
to serve the latest generation of mobile-savvy users who rely on
cloud-based business apps for every aspect of their work and personal
lives.
To learn more, visit Aruba at
http://www.arubanetworks.com
.
For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter and Facebook,
and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products
visit Airheads Social at
http://community.arubanetworks.com
.
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Pavel Radda, +1-408-419-0294
Senior Director of Corporate Communications
pavel.radda@hpe.com
or
LSH Communications for Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Lori Hultin, +1-818-879-4651
Principal
lori.hultin@hpe.com