PR always sounds better after the preannouncement:
Health First Gains Competitive Advantage with FORE ATM Backbone Solution;New Network Connects 70 Remote Locations, Reduces Costs, Improves Patient Care
October 12, 1998 08:00 AM
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- To build a strong network infrastructure that supports the critical applications implicit in health care, Health First, Inc., a not-for-profit integrated delivery health network based in Melbourne, Fla., selected FORE Systems, Inc. FORE , a leading global supplier of multiservice networking solutions, to implement an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) backbone solution at the core of its network. The new network ensures the highest quality of care, reduces costs, and standardizes business-critical information from various health environments, while enabling Health First to maintain the local community hospital feel.
"A redundant, reliable network is critical for health care organizations today," said Mark Amey, director of technical services for Health First. "With the help of FORE Systems, we are able to better manage overall day-to- day operations including such tasks as processing more information effectively, enabling hospital personnel to obtain the most accurate diagnosis of a patient's health, and helping the organization make good financial decisions."
Health First faced the challenge of replacing an outdated local area network (LAN) with a new wide area network (WAN) that would permit information to be transported between the many locations of the health system along a single network backbone. Health First required a highly resilient network infrastructure that would minimize downtime or performance degradation during the migration of the network. FORE Systems was the only vendor considered with an end-to-end solution that adhered to ATM Forum standards enabling superior reliability and scalability.
Since Health First reengineered its network by consolidating voice and data traffic over a single ATM network infrastructure, patients have benefited substantially from Health First's shared services and support. For instance, if a patient calls the local hospital regarding a billing question, the call is transparently transferred via the voice/data network to a centralized billing office. Patients get the same, personalized treatment as if they were corresponding directly with their local community hospital. At the same time, administrative costs are being significantly reduced. Health First already has an average cost savings of $120,000 per annum just through the consolidation of voice traffic on its data network.
The network will also enable the introduction of new technologies and services, one of which is a newly implemented Point-of-Care Clinical Information system that gives doctors access to information that could impact the life and health of a patient. Another will be a medical record system to be maintained on the network, which will create a repository available to a caregiver at any point in the continuum of care, from an acute care setting to a physician practice. Regardless of where a patient enters the health network, clinical information is available to the caregiver.
With the new network, all clinical data, financial data, insurance and radiology information now travels over the same backbone. Functions between 70 locations, including hospitals, an HMO, physical practices and physician sites are now consolidated because of the ATM backbone solution.
Network Configuration
The network encompasses several FORE products, including the ForeRunner(R) ASX-1000 ATM backbone switch, PowerHub(R) 7000 and PowerHub 8000 multilayer LAN backbone switches and multiple ES-3810 switches to transfer data between health care locations. Health First utilizes a series of dedicated and shared SONET Rings to extend the ATM network to primary sites that span Brevard County, over 1400 square miles. Health First has implemented LAN Emulation (LANE) 1.0 to support data connectivity requirements and employs ATM Forum compliant Circuit Emulation to support voice requirements. Finally, Health First has partnered with multiple service providers, including Bell South and Time Warner Telecommunications, to achieve communications across the county.
Plans for the Future
Plans call for Health First to utilize the network for video conferencing and distance learning. As the network grows geographically, video conferencing will have a tremendous benefit by reducing travel time between sites and increasing productivity of hospital staff. Other advanced technologies such as telemedicine, security monitoring, and surveillance also are being considered, which will set Health First apart in the marketplace.
According to Richard Rogers, vice president of Information Technology and chief information officer for Health First, "It was critical for us to implement a network infrastructure that allowed us to standardize all our applications and support access from any of our facilities. FORE's Intelligent Infrastructure(TM) can handle our existing large bandwidth requirements, preparing us to deploy future applications like telemedicine."
"Real-time, reliable access to critical information on the network is an essential requirement for health care systems," said Ron McKenzie, vice president of strategic marketing at FORE Systems. "Health First can count on FORE's Intelligent Infrastructure to enable the delivery of and access to information that impacts the quality of patient care."
About Health First
Founded in August 1995, Health First, Inc. is a not-for-profit, locally managed and governed organization serving Brevard County, Florida. Health First represents a concept bringing together physicians, hospitals, and insurance products into a seamless, integrated system. Major components of this system are Cape Canaveral Hospital, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Palm Bay Community Hospital, and a wide-range of affiliates. These include fitness centers, diagnostic centers, medical and pediatric rehabilitation facilities, a women and children's resource center, a nursing home, home care and hospice, and an assisted living and Alzheimer's care community.
Other major components of the Health First system are Health First Health Plans -- Brevard County's only locally-based health plan with Commercial and Medicare HMO and POS products, and Health First Physicians -- a network of physician clinics specializing in obstetrics/gynecology, infertility, internal medicine, infectious diseases, and occupational medicine. Another component is H.O.P.E. (Health Outreach Prevention & Education). H.O.P.E. is a collaboration of like-minded organizations who share the goal of a healthier community. Founded by Holmes Regional Medical Center, H.O.P.E. received the prestigious 1997 NOVA Award from the American Hospital Association, and has been recognized by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles as a model of community partnership.
In addition to its community service and educational activities, Health First provided $14 million in charity care to Brevard County residents in fiscal year 1997.
For more information on Health First, visit its website at www.health-first.org.
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