The German health system is under enormous pressure. For it to stand firm, it must break new ground. Feeling this pressure is Starnberg District Hospital with its Starnberg Clinic and Penzberg Clinic locations. These two facilities have more than 900 employees, approximately 400 beds and care for nearly 24,000 inpatients while achieving operating margins of between 6 percent and 10 percent. Not many municipal clinics can achieve this. With a new voice-data infrastructure from Avaya, the hospital has also laid the foundations for the digitisation of its processes. This pays off in two ways: an increase in the quality of care and a decrease in IT operating costs.
A man with a suspected stroke is admitted to Starnberg Clinic with symptoms of paralysis and speech disorder. Every minute counts. The southern Bavarian regional healthcare provider has a stroke unit, so the patient receives the best care here. The clinic is part of the East Bavarian Neurovascular Care Network (Neva). This gives Starnberg doctors access to the stroke experts at Munich University Hospital allowing them to discuss appropriate treatment measures when needed within minutes. “The treatment starts sooner and damage is minimised as much as possible,” says senior physician Dr. Andreas Rüchardt. For him, it is clear that telemedicine and telematic applications contribute to a higher quality of care and efficiency, especially in rural areas.
Making rounds with a smartphone
The hospital has modernised its entire IT infrastructure at its facilities at Starnberg and Penzberg. Where previously independent components complicated the administration of voice and data communications, today a robust communications network from Avaya provides maximum transparency and reliability. The core network is based on VSP-7024 switches from Avaya and has been designed with full redundancy. “So it carries on without interference if an entire switch should fail,” says Michael Knall, IT manager at Starnberg Clinic. It is important that the network meets the highest standards in terms of reliability, performance and security. Unlike traditional networks, it combines not only classic components and PCs, but also integrates a variety of medical products and applications – such as digital X-ray equipment and the clinic information system, where all patient data is managed.
CHALLENGES
- Pressure to modernise antiquated voice/data network
- Need for doctors to be accessible in all areas of the hospital facility
- Ability to seamlessly communicate between clinic locations
- Need to ensure network security to protect patient information and records
VALUE CREATED
- Doctors and staff are accessible at any time via smart phone over the hospital’s WLAN
- Treatment processes are accelerated, while costs are reduced
- Innovative telemedicine applications with seamless communication
“In addition, the new, high-performance infrastructure, with a bandwidth of multiple ten gigabit connections in the backbone, Power-over-Ethernet Plus in the branch offices/upper floors and an integrated quality of service functionality provides the necessary features to build a nearly seamless wireless communications network,” explains Walter Mayer from implementation partner CMS IT-Consulting. In conjunction with approximately 200 smartphones and 60 wireless telephones, this forms the basis for a smooth and highly efficient operation. It was vitally important to provide comprehensive coverage throughout the entire hospital campus, including the elevator shafts which had to be covered from above via external antennas. This means that employees can now communicate in the elevator via WLAN.
Where doctors were previously contacted via outdated pagers, they are now directly accessible via smartphone. “Alarms can be activated by pressing a button, conveying important information directly via a conversation, resulting in appropriate actions being taken immediately. This saves time, which can be vital, especially in an emergency,” explains IT manager Knall. In addition, the hospital staff can now access virtual reference books using a special app. They can easily look up side effects and interactions of individual drugs in the pharmaceutical index and research the background information of certain diseases.
The issue of data protection is also high on the agenda: “In the end, patients trust us with highly sensitive personal health data,” says Knall. Therefore not only is the hospital-internal WLAN protected against unauthorised access but the smartphones only work within the hospital network by using mobile device management from airwatch. Of course, patients and visitors can also surf the Internet – but by voucher via a specially secured visitor WLAN.
“Today doctors are directly accessible via smartphone. This saves time, which can be vital, especially in an emergency.” – Michael Knall, Head of IT, Starnberg Clinic.
Multi-site communications
The multi-site collaboration between Starnberg and Penzberg runs without any restrictions. Among other things, this is ensured by the communications platform Avaya Aura. “It combines both devices in a unified communications network,” says CMS CEO Mayer. This provides an enormous relief, especially for management. Administrative tasks such as purchasing, logistics, IT or personnel management are performed centrally from Starnberg for both sites. The need for coordination is equally important. Today, employees only need to dial an internal extension number and they will automatically reach the desired contact in Penzberg, and vice-versa. Thanks to the Avaya one-X Mobile application, with incoming calls the office phone and smartphone ring simultaneously. With this feature, the availability of staff has been improved: “Whether it is a doctor working in the office or just making his rounds, he is available at all times through his extension,” says Michael Knall, emphasising this important added value in the integrated Avaya solution. And not only that: the app makes all the features of Avaya Aura accessible on the go.
The modernisation of the hospital-wide voice/data network has paved the way for the digital transformation in healthcare at the hospital in a sustained manner. Laboratory results, radiographs, diagnoses, treatments and patient information will also soon be available via smartphone at Starnberg. “Thanks to the Avaya components and solutions we can now gradually open up the opportunities of digitised healthcare,” concludes IT manager Knall. “We now have the ideal conditions for high quality and efficient patient care.”
“Whether it is a doctor working in the office or making rounds, he is available at all times through his extension.” – Michael Knall, Head of IT, Starnberg Clinic.
