Hospital deploys 3Com Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

3Com Corporation has announced that US-based Hendrick Health System, a full-service hospital, has standardised its new $2.1 million enterprise network from ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) to 3Com Ethernet networking products. The 1,000-user metropolitan area network (MAN) is based on a 622 megabits-per-second (Mbps) ATM backbone and is utilising 155 Mbps network devices for data traffic across Hendrick`s 11-building campus in Abilene, Texas, and its data centre, five miles away.

"To fully provide for the healthcare needs of our community and region, Hendrick needs advanced, cost-effective technology," says Jim Burks, the hospital`s Director of Information Systems. "Using our 3Com ATM network, we now have an infrastructure that is giving our doctors and medical teams the tools they require to deliver the highest possible level of care to our patients now and for many years to come."

Powered by its new 3Com network, Hendrick is expediting several year 2000-compliant applications and paving the way for a cache of sophisticated multimedia services designed to improve patient care, explains Henk van Eck, pre-sales engineer at 3Com SA.

He says the hospital serves 132 000 in and outpatients every year, has a 513 bed capacity and services range from pediatric to neuro-spine. "By using the IDXtendR network-driven Patient Management solution, for instance, the hospital is accelerating admissions, transfers, and discharges as well as billing collections and medical record abstracts."

"The 3Com network is also streamlining Hendrick`s order entry and results reporting through its support of the Eclipsys Continuum 2000 clinical care system," says Van Eck. "In addition, it supports the hospital`s IDX Rad radiology information system, which will rapidly deliver radiology test results and track radiology film."

The scalable 3Com architecture will also deliver a new picture archival communication system (PACS), allowing physicians to view and exchange filmless radiology images at reading stations across the hospital campus.

Van Eck points out that Hendrick is gaining further efficiency via the ATM network`s delivery of several other business-critical services. These include Cerner`s laboratory information system, which will interface directly with Continuum 2000 and with Lawson`s accounting, materials management and human resources packages.

The network also supports Microsoft Exchange email and Microsoft Office and will soon enable the hospital to deploy radiology imaging, telemedicine and electronic medical charts -- new revenue-raising services that will significantly improve patient care.