Building the Next-generation Network to Improve Patient Care By V. Gardner, L. Julliard Alcatel-Lucent and UPMC embark on a communications transformation initiative. The opportunity When seconds can literally mean the difference between life and death, healthcare organizations depend on communications networks to connect medical staff seamlessly and reliably to enhance patient care. Disparate communications networks compromise response, collaboration and clinician accessibility, contributing to increased costs and decreased quality of patient care. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), is the largest integrated healthcare enterprise in Pennsylvania, USA, and one of the leading non-profit health systems in the country. UPMC has teamed with Alcatel-Lucent to lead an IP network transformation project that will upgrade its data infrastructure, enterprise telephony system, contact center platforms and applications over a next-generation converged network. Beyond delivering this integrated network, the two organizations are creating a joint venture focused on developing applications for the healthcare industry allowing patients, first responders and healthcare providers to benefit from continued research and innovation delivered through this powerful partnership. A vision for Unbound Healthcare UPMC is the premier health system in western Pennsylvania and one of the most renowned academic medical centers in the United States. An undisputed innovator in its field, UPMC is the only organization that has earned honor-roll status in both U.S. News & World Report s 2006 America s Best Hospitals and America s Best Health Plans rankings. As the region s largest employer with 43,000 employees and nearly $6 billion in revenue, UPMC comprises 19 tertiary, specialty and community hospitals; 400 outpatient sites and doctors offices; retirement and long-term care facilities; an insurance plan; and international ventures. With the patient at the center of its philosophy, UPMC seeks to realize a vision that provides quality care that is unconfined in its approach. By seamlessly connecting a clinician with patients, peers and medical records, irrespective of location, UPMC strives to deliver unbound healthcare and transform its business in the process. This transformation will create a single network infrastructure allowing for efficient and effective utilization of resources, and enabling real-time communication both within UPMC and among key stakeholders, and will reengineer all aspects of the existing voice, video and data networks. enriching communications > premier issue > 2007 http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/enrich 1
The mission of UPMC is to provide outstanding patient care and to shape tomorrow s health system through clinical innovation and research. This dictates a state-of-the-art, reliable, scalable communications system. Alcatel-Lucent s innovative products will allow for seamless communication by integrating voice and data networks. Access to information for clinical and administrative needs will be available through the most appropriate channels. We believe this initiative will expand to meet UPMC s needs regionally, nationally and internationally. Dan Drawbaugh, Chief Information Office, UPMC Transforming the network In a $300 million arrangement, UPMC and Alcatel-Lucent will spend the next 48 months co-designing and implementing a best-in-class convergence network to deliver the following: Best-in-Class Reliability: Drawing on Alcatel- Lucent s extensive carrier expertise, where mission-critical availability is the standard, the new network will deliver this requirement with a high availability and redundancy strategy. Best-in-Class Security: In addition to wire-rate and load-balancing of security applications, Alcatel-Lucent will offer network-enforced layers of authentication, down to the port level, guarding the most sensitive patient and medical information from unauthorized intrusion. Best-in-Class Scalability: With an extensive network of sites, the solution will allow UPMC to continue to grow its network by at least 300%, and easily address adds, moves and changes without compromising the reliability of voice, data and video services. Best-in-Class Service Delivery Model: By leveraging dark fiber and public network services, UPMC benefits from high bandwidth and network performance at low recurring operating costs. Additionally, the solution incorporates computer telephony integration (CTI) technologies, such as workflow and presence, to increase clinical and business efficiencies. Best-in-Class Applications: Using applications that deliver presence, collaboration and information access, regardless of physical location, UPMC will enhance patient care and attain its vision of unbound healthcare. enriching communications > premier issue > 2007 http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/enrich 2
Alcatel-Lucent is committed to helping the healthcare industry redefine its traditional means of communications and business processes during a crisis, towards a model that will produce a faster and more efficient first response. We are confident that by leveraging our broad portfolio of communications solutions in the transformation of UPMC s network, UPMC will be able to deliver new services and applications that will help streamline its overall business processes and solidify its role as an industry leader. Hubert de Pesquidoux, Executive Vice President and President of the Enterprise Business Group, Alcatel-Lucent Over the 48-month transformation, UPMC will replace and upgrade its entire existing infrastructure across 19 hospitals and 400 outpatient sites in its service area. Additionally, UPMC will transition from its existing state of more than 25 disparate contact center solutions from multiple vendors, to one single platform from Alcatel-Lucent through its Genesys solution. Plus, as UPMC expands, opportunities may arise for additional network transformation projects in new areas of the business. The encompassing solution includes, but is not limited to, the following Alcatel-Lucent products: Wired and wireless data infrastructure, complete with best-in-class security to prevent network intrusion down to the port level. Optical networking, including market-leading products from the world leader in optics. IP routing and switching, complete with multi-service capabilities to distribute real-time applications to the remotest network edges, and non-stop service functionality for unparalleled reliability. Next-generation enterprise telephony solution, complete with the Genesys contact center application, wired and wireless handsets, an integrated voice messaging solution, voice recording and interactive voice response system. New suite of real-time multimedia applications, including presence, collaboration and mobility capabilities. Professional services, including integration of third-party applications and hospital systems and network operations center support. enriching communications > premier issue > 2007 http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/enrich 3
A partnership for success: the joint venture In addition to seeking a partner that could deliver a best-in-class network, UPMC wanted one that could help it create solutions to address critical issues facing the healthcare industry at large. As such, beyond the network transformation project, UPMC and Alcatel- Lucent will each invest $25 million to create a joint venture focused on developing applications for the healthcare industry. Initially, this venture will focus on the area of public safety, with a goal of creating systems, processes and technologies that ensure first responders, key decision-makers and healthcare providers are able to share and access critical information and applications securely during a crisis. As we have learned through national crises like 9/11 and hurricane Katrina, when disasters occur, key decision-makers and first responders are often challenged by a lack of a common communications infrastructure. Without the ability to communicate across the several organizations, a tough job becomes infinitely more challenging, often resulting in the breakdown of command and control and a reduced ability to help those in harm s way. UPMC realizes this challenge and, as the dominant healthcare provider in Pennsylvania, is leading the way to help create a common network that will allow all of these critical groups to communicate effectively during the time of a crisis, and link them in a seamless way to healthcare providers. Alcatel-Lucent proudly joins the ranks of other industry leaders, including IBM and Cerner, which have formed similar joint ventures with UPMC to raise the bar on healthcare performance. Selecting the right partner: why Alcatel-Lucent? After a careful review of the marketplace with respect to the needs of this project, UPMC determined that Alcatel-Lucent was the partner of choice for the following reasons: Alcatel-Lucent s broad portfolio and market-leading positions in transport, IP routing and switching, enterprise telephony and contact center solutions positioned the company as the only single vendor that could provide the end-to-end, best-in-class network required. Alcatel-Lucent has designed an enterprise product portfolio grounded in its heritage of building solutions for service providers. As such, the products contain a level of reliability typically only found in carrier-grade solutions, a critical requirement when lives are at stake. UPMC was interested in more than a vendor the industry innovator also needed a partner committed to supporting the healthcare industry at large. The joint venture formed speaks to Alcatel-Lucent s commitment to the enterprise space, and its unwavering partnership role with its customers. enriching communications > premier issue > 2007 http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/enrich 4
The future In addition to delivering cost savings from converging separate voice, data and video networks into a single network infrastructure, and implementing SIP trunking features that will reduce traditional phone carrier costs, UPMC and Alcatel-Lucent look to the promise that this network transformation holds beyond bottom-line impacts. Among the benefits: This transformation significantly increases the effectiveness of each contact between patient caregivers and service scheduling/healthcare management personnel, reducing the potential for error and labor-intensive human interventions, and eliminating redundant processes all designed to move patients efficiently and effectively throughout the system. Given the completely standards-based solution, UPMC will retain flexibility to select third-party applications or service provider solutions that best fit its evolving business modes. Since the solution delivers on the vision of unbound healthcare, UPMC will benefit from the continued attraction, productivity gains and retention of key physicians, researchers and business executives to drive the organization to its next level. Mobility and uniform access to advanced tools, such as messaging and presence, will allow these key individuals to communicate more effectively using their own personal preference of voice, instant messaging, email or multimedia to reach their contacts in the office or off-campus. Improved communication between medical experts and administrative staff will fundamentally reshape existing workflow processes, and transform not only the network, but the business itself. In so doing, UPMC will ultimately improve net profitability per subscriber through the avoidance of costly delays or errors. Finally, the joint venture opens the door to redefining the traditional modes of connecting critical first responders in emergency situations. These innovations extend beyond UPMC and Alcatel- Lucent to support the healthcare industry at large, and equip first responders with enhanced communications solutions to serve the public. Over the next three years, UPMC and Alcatel-Lucent will lead the way in building one of the most advanced and all-encompassing communications networks in the healthcare industry today. In so doing, the two proven industry leaders will continue to raise the bar on healthcare innovation and improve patient care in the process. k Val Gardner is Senior Manager Healthcare, Alcatel-Lucent, Plano, TX, USA. Email: val.gardner@alcatel-lucent.com Laurence Julliard is Marketing Manager, Alcatel-Lucent, Plano, TX, USA. Email: laurence.julliard@alcatel-lucent.com Alcatel, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent and the Alcatel-Lucent logo are trademarks of Alcatel-Lucent. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The information presented is subject to change without notice. Alcatel-Lucent assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein. 2007 Alcatel-Lucent. All rights reserved. enriching communications > premier issue > 2007 http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/enrich 5