Wireless Mobility: The New Productivity Tool in ... - Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks White Paper: Wireless Mobility: The New Productivity Tool in Healthcare
Active RFID technology can be used for sensor applications,
including temperature threshold alarms for
temperature-regulating equipment such as incubators,
water baths, refrigerators and freezers. Tissue samples,
vaccines, blood cultures and many drugs must be stored
at precisely regulated temperatures.
Summit WM3000 series controllers enable IT
administrators to locate in real time, RFID-equipped
workstations, equipment, patient beds and devices. The
Summit WM WLAN system can support enhanced RTLS
solutions from best-of-breed vendors such as Ekahau
and AeroScout.
Achieving Regulatory
Compliance and Interoperablity
As compared to other enterprise deployments, hospitals
present numerous sources of physical and electronic
interference. False walls/ceilings for housing supply lines
for gas, water and network wiring, add structural layers
that wireless signals must penetrate. Emergency,
operating and treatment rooms are packed with stainless
steel furnishings and equipment. Worse yet, the reflective/transmissive
qualities of these spaces change
dynamically as equipment is moved in and out of rooms,
or beds get stored in hallways.
The problem of electronic interference is particularly
problematic for healthcare providers because slow
network response can have a direct impact on patient
care. Wireless medical equipment must meet especially
stringent standards designed to ensure WLAN transmissions
do not cause interference with other wireless
devices. In addition to medical equipment, automatic
doors, elevators, microwaves and other radio-controlled
systems can play havoc with wireless communications.
Patient records must be secured in accordance with
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) regulations. For healthcare organizations
planning to apply for the newly approved Health
Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health
(HITECH) funding, data encryption is a key requirement.
(See sidebar.)
Solution: Clear Signals and EMC Certified
Summit WM3000 series controllers and Altitude APs are
designed to boost signal transmissions through dense
structures, across large coverage areas and within
crowded frequency bands. They are certified compliant
with 60601-1-2: 2007 EMC regulatory standards to avoid
problems of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) with
medical devices. They are also certified to interoperate
with Draeger wireless medical equipment, such as the
Infinity OneNet patient monitoring system.
Encryption - A Hot Issue in HITCH
Funding
The incentive for healthcare organizations to upgrade their
enterprise LAN has become a lot more attractive recently.
Starting in 2011, the Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act will distribute
$19.2 billion to aid healthcare organizations transitioning
patient records to EMR.
The eligibility requirements are still being discussed
among healthcare providers, analysts and consultants;
nonetheless, most agree that data encryption will be the
predominant security mechanism, in large part because
encrypted data is not subject to breach notification
requirements. Data encryption can be relatively easy and
economical to deploy. Once configured, encryption
engines typically apply hashing algorithms to data packets
without manual intervention. Other security requirements
include access control, administrative oversight, workforce
training, risk analysis and physical security. 2
802.11n wireless supports a new encryption standard,
WPA-2, which offers a considerable improvement in data
security over the older 802.11a/b/g wireless transmissions.
IPSec VPN tunneling safeguards user sessions across
public networks such as the Internet.
2
“Summary of the HIPAA Rule”, U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services, http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/
understanding/srsummary.html, October 2010.
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