Case Studies

MERCY MEDICAL CENTER

The Challenge:

Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Oregon has been named one of the "Top 100 Companies to Work for in Oregon" for four consecutive years. On average, this busy heathcare facility admits more than 10,000 patients a year, delivers more than 900 babies, and handles more than 38,000 emergency room visits. Part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national organization based in Denver, Colorado, one of its charters is to "better meet the challenges of providing health services in a rapidly changing environment." And to achieve that goal, Mercy Medical Center needed an optical wireless solution to connect a137-bed hospital with administrative facilities half a mile away. Enter LightPointe, a license-free wireless network solution that eliminates recurring telecommunications fees for a fiber-optic building-to-building connection.

The Solution:

Pacific Star, a LightPointe FlightPartner serving the Pacific Northwestern region of the U.S., suggested LightPointe — a recognized leader with optical wireless technology now at work in more 60 countries, in more than 2,000 installations.

After a site survey that analyzed the link distance, application, weather, and line-of-sight parameters, the FlightSpectrum 1.25/1000. was selected. The GigE connection provides 100 times more bandwidth than the previous 10-megabit RF solution. With its FlightNavigator™ weather assessment and network-planning tool, LightPointe calculated 98.6 percent network availability for Mercy Medical Center. And since Roseburg is no stranger to wet and misty weather, the solution needed to withstand this type of weather. The link is deployed at 1,100 meters — a distance that is 10 percent farther than the product is rated — but more than reachable for Mercy Medical Center's desired network availability results.

With health care providers making the transition to digitally based information systems to reduce overhead, high-bandwidth networks are necessary to move data efficiently among multiple buildings. While Mercy Medical Center first embraced wireless communications technology early, deploying a 10-megabit radio frequency (RF) solution during the 1990s between the hospital and administrative office where it processes physician transcriptions and several other records-keeping functions, the RF system enabled the hospital to connect the two buildings, but couldn't handle the volume of information processed. Further, while wireless connectivity with RF only required a one-time fee for licensing, the system had bandwidth limitations and was in routine need of maintenance, which added to the overall ownership costs.

Another option considered, trenching fiber-optic cable, was far too expensive for Mercy, and leasing lines from the local telecommunications provider meant unwanted monthly fees. Mercy Medical Center's network already included Cisco Catalyst switches, so the medical center was in search of a solution that would leverage the hospital's existing infrastructure — another key benefit of LightPointe's optical wireless technology.

Sound Byte:

"The FlightSpectrum easily integrated with our existing Cisco switches and has performed at the level predicted by LightPointe. I am very satisfied with the technology, our finance department is very satisfied with the economics, and our administrative team is very happy with the GigE network speed."
— Stan Randall, Network Engineer for Mercy Medical Center.

www.mercyrose.org