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IS Details Technology Plans for Shapiro Center
The Shapiro Center is wired with CAT 6a, the highest grade cable that enables
Enhancing patient-centered care has guided the planning and construction of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center from the beginning. When the new building opens in spring 2008, it places patients at the center of all services related to their cardiovascular care, such as Radiology, Surgery and Medicine. All patient rooms are single-occupancy with a sofa for family members to make their stays more comfortable and enabling families to be an even more active presence in the ongoing care of their loved one.
And even though the patients may not realize it, this same philosophy of putting patients and their families at the center is behind the complex and comprehensive planning for technology infrastructure, hardware and internally developed applications in the Shapiro Center.
“Since our technology planning summit in 2005, our team has been committed to designing systems that will, over the next few years, provide a seamless transition for all our care providers; applications that are wireless, paperless and film-less wherever possible; and an overall infrastructure that is scalable and flexible as technology advances,” BWH Chief Information Officer Sue Schade said.
In order to coordinate the multiple points of integration and complexity, the IT Implementation Group for Shapiro was convened in November 2005. Catherine McGoldrick, corporate manager, BWH IS Management & Planning, leads the team of representatives from Facilities, Telecommunications, Biomedical Engineering, Network Engineering, Medical Imaging IT, and leadership from the Nursing, Cardiovascular, and OR design teams.
The 10-story building is wired from top to bottom with the latest grade cable, CAT 6a, which will support data transmission rates of 1Gigabit (Gbs) when Shapiro opens, and up to 10Gigabit (Gbs) in the coming years.
“This cabling infrastructure will provide the growth needed for the future, and as technology advances and demands on the network increase, we will be in a strong position to meet those needs, ” said McGoldrick.
The cable infrastructure is accompanied by two wireless networks, one for cellular phones, and one for wireless computers and additional medical devices. The wireless cellular phone network, called InnerWireless, is an in-building wireless voice infrastructure that will ensure a consistent level of cell phone service, regardless of the service provider. This same infrastructure is also being planned for installation in the Tower and Connors Center.
The wireless data network (WLAN) will support wireless devices, such as laptops and identified biomedical devices and other future wireless devices. The WLAN design in Shapiro includes installing the maximum allowable number of access points to all areas in order to provide the maximum bandwidth to wireless users. Wireless networks are an extension of the wired network, not a replacement for it. There are many applications that will benefit from placement on the wired infrastructure for some time to come.
When the facility opens next spring, the same wireless capabilities available in the Tower and Connors Center today will be available in Shapiro, including the patient/visitor guest wireless Internet access that went live in March 2007. The initial use of wireless devices will be limited to hardware and other devices that are currently supported by PHS IS, and the plan is to start to permit more wireless applications in the year ahead.
IS teams have also been developing new applications to improve efficiency in patient care and customer service. In some cases, the Shapiro development teams have leveraged technologies from outside BWH and from other PHS facilities. One-View, an advanced patient tracking system (see page 2), has been successful at MGH, and Cardiovascular Dynamic Scheduling (see above), an enhanced scheduling system, is based on one already in place in the BWH Operating Room.
See other Shapiro related articles this week's Shapiro supplement or download a pdf of the supplement. Workers Fitting Out Shapiro Center Wired for Care One-View, Many Benefits New Scheduling System for CDIC on the Way