Beyond the Data Center: Emerson Network Power Survey Reveals Top IT Concerns Inside Hospitals in North America

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) November 3, 2010

Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson and the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity, today announced results of its 2010 survey on IT and facility issues inside the hospital. The survey results, which include responses from North America-based professionals in IT management/IT operations, data center management and facilities management, reported budget, power requirements and availability as top concerns.

Other notable results from the survey included:

More than half of respondents upgraded their healthcare facility’s power and cooling infrastructure when implementing new technologies like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)/network communications and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), showing a correlation between the importance of power and cooling infrastructure and the reliance on IT systems.
More than one-half of patient rooms are not supported by any uninterruptible power source, and just 28 percent of operating rooms have emergency power receptacles serviced through an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). This lack of protection makes critical patient data vulnerable to downtime as there is no ride-through until the hospital’s emergency generators can assume the critical load.
Thirty-two percent of those surveyed had experienced unplanned downtime of their IT systems while 29 percent responded that their data centers did not deploy redundant power systems or didn’t know what type of distribution strategy was being used. This suggests that, despite an increased reliance on IT, there is a need for increasing awareness of infrastructure technologies and strategies.
Despite the recession, 60 percent indicated they plan to add more server and storage capacity in their hospital data centers in the next 24 months, while more than half are planning to update or expand IT infrastructure within an existing hospital. Twenty-seven percent plan to expand the existing hospital, while 15 percent plan to build a new facility.
Regarding cloud computing in the healthcare setting, web servers and web-based applications have the second highest cloud adoption rate at 49 percent (13 percent is specified as internal cloud), among respondents, and 50 percent of respondents plan to implement disaster recovery/backup-as-a-service on an internal or external cloud. Forty-nine percent of respondents mentioned a concern with security and cloud computing.

Quotes attributable to Jeff Sturgeon, vice president of marketing and solutions, Emerson Network Power’s Liebert products business in North America:

“With shrinking IT budgets and rising demand for computing capacity, it’s not surprising that healthcare IT and facilities professionals cited budget, power requirements and availability as top concerns inside the hospital.”
“Although it is a relief to know that those in the healthcare industry recognize the relationship between power and cooling infrastructure and IT system availability, the lack of hospital-wide power protection in the OR and patient rooms is concerning.”
“Patient records in the data center may remain available and protected during a utility outage, but without extending protection into the hospital, medical personnel will not have access to vital data while hospital-based IT devices are temporarily down.”

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About Emerson Network Power

Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson, is the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity from grid to chip for telecommunication networks, data centers, health care and industrial facilities. Emerson Network Power provides innovative solutions and expertise in areas including AC and DC power and precision cooling systems, embedded computing and power, integrated racks and enclosures, power switching and controls, infrastructure management, and connectivity. All solutions are supported globally by local Emerson Network Power service technicians. Learn more about Emerson Network Power products and services at http://www.EmersonNetworkPower.com.

About Emerson

Emerson, based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2009 were $ 20.9 billion. For more information, visit http://www.Emerson.com.

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Beyond the Data Center: Emerson Network Power Survey Reveals Top IT Concerns Inside Hospitals in North America

Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions Now Monitors Air Quality in Hospitals and Operating Rooms

Fremont, CA (PRWEB) June 30, 2012

Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions is the world leader in monitoring critical environments. One of the most critical environments is those used in healthcare. Five to 10 percent of patients admitted to hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide acquire a secondary infection during their stay.

Healthcare facilities, in operation on a continuous basis and with varying levels of occupancy, have the most demanding use of any other type of building. As HVAC systems age, they require maintenance and repair. Aging HVAC systems can become compromised and act as a reservoir and distribution system of contamination that contributes to the spread of infection.

Lighthouse’s monitoring solutions and instrumentation detects changes in the environment, providing timely information, notification and warnings to assist in identifying contamination sources and this information can be used to reduce infection. Pharma environments that are ideal for this solution include surgery rooms, pharmacy and formulation rooms, emergency room, fertility clinics, blood banks, tissue banks, medication storage, transport, warehouse, laboratory, radiopharmacy facilities, food service, stem cell banks, and more.

Parameters that are monitored include room temperature & relative humidity, differential pressure, particle counts, freezer temperatures, incubator temperatures and door openings, oven temperatures, medical gas pressures & purity, air velocity, microbiological air & surface quality, and door opening and closing in critical environments. The LMS software makes it easy to navigate, create & edit graphs and create reports. Integrated measurement stations that monitor and contain various environmental sensors can be integrated into sensitive locations. Alarm beacons in each room indicate the overall status of the environmental conditions. Warning and action signals inform operators about the room conditions at all times.

The system is designed to meet the strict requirements of the pharmaceutical and life science industries. Lighthouse has experience and expertise in monitoring of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulated facilities for the FDA, EMA, WHO and other international regulatory agencies. Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP) provides a strong set of guidelines to follow for the design, implementation and testing of contamination measurement instruments and monitoring systems.

About Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions

Lighthouse is the leading provider of particle counters, particle, microbial, environmental and facility monitoring software, and contamination monitoring systems. The company provides accurate monitoring devices such as microbial samplers, total organic carbon (TOC) analyzers, liquid particle counters, handheld particle counters, and airborne particle counters to the defense, aerospace, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and many other manufacturing sectors.

With its headquarters and manufacturing facilities based on the West Coast, Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions products are proudly made in the USA. The company’s products are sold and supported by a global network of distributors.

Direct all media and product inquiries to:

Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions

47300 Kato Road

Fremont, CA 94538 USA

+1 510.438.0500

info (at ) golighthouse (dot) com

Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions Now Monitors Air Quality in Hospitals and Operating Rooms

NCH Among the Nations Most Wired Hospitals for Its Advanced Health Information Technologies

Arlington Heights, IL (PRWEB) July 11, 2012

Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) in Arlington Heights is among an elite group of tech-savvy hospitals and healthcare systems to be recognized as forward thinkers within the health information technology field. In a national survey, the results of which were published in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, NCH has been listed as one of the nations Most Wired hospitals and healthcare systems in the country for 2012.

According to Health Cares Most Wired 2012 Survey, the nations Most Wired hospitals are leveraging the adoption and use of health information technology to improve performance in a number of areas. At NCH, new and innovative health IT solutions have automated and integrated clinical, patient safety and administrative functions not only within the Arlington Heights-based hospital, but also at NCHs outpatient facilities and the NCH Medical Group offices located throughout Chicagos northwest suburbs.

Its an accomplishment and an honor to be recognized nationally because weve been working diligently to establish a clinical technology architecture that incorporates population health and wellness management tools, said George Morris, Vice President of Information Technology at NCH, who recognizes there is a shift in healthcare that holds organizations like NCH accountable for both the immediate and long-term well-being of its patients.

NCH also remains focused on health information technologies that optimize patient care processes, streamline communication among providers and protect patient data. Key projects for NCH include computerized provider order entry that enables physicians to submit orders electronically; an electronic closed loop medication process that focuses on patient safety and quality of care, and a hospital-wide electronic Bed Board system that monitors bed availability and patient census, while assisting with the coordination of transporters and environmental services to optimize staff efficiencies and patient resources.

In addition, NCH recently launched a fully-customized mobile application (app) that allows individuals to better manage their urgent and day-to-day healthcare needs. Called MyNCH, this multi-functional free mobile app provides instant access to NCHs network of medical group physicians, hospital services, emergency care, immediate care and specialty centers throughout Chicagos northwest suburbs.

NCH is among the first healthcare providers in Illinois and one of only 13 comparable hospitals in the country to provide its patients with a robust mobile app. The mobile app is NCHs first step to delivering personal and relevant health information to the community in a secure format thats easy to use and convenient to access.

For more information about Northwest Community Healthcare and to learn more about NCHs mobile app, visit http://www.nch.org/app. The 2012 Most Wired Survey is conducted in cooperation with McKesson Corporation, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), and the American Hospital Association. For more information about the Most Wired list for 2012, visit http://www.hhnmag.com.

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NCH Among the Nations Most Wired Hospitals for Its Advanced Health Information Technologies

Tech-Time Selects ClearDATA HIPAA-Compliant Offsite Backup & Recovery Service for 25 Hospitals

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) November 07, 2012

ClearDATA Networks, Inc., the leading healthcare cloud computing platform and service provider, today announced that Tech-Time, Inc., a Billings, Montana- based IT service provider for rural healthcare providers, has selected ClearDATAs HIPAA-compliant Offsite Backup and Recovery service for its client base of 25 hospitals and additional healthcare providers. Tech-Time specializes in meeting the processing needs of rural health care providers, small and rural hospitals, nursing homes, and clinic facilities.

As healthcare organizations face ever increasing storage needs, tighter IT budgets, and stricter regulatory requirements, cloud-based offsite backup and recovery offers the most cost effective, secure, and reliable solution available with todays technology, said Jim Moore, VP Sales and Marketing at Tech-Time, Inc. Tech-Time selected ClearDATA for this service based on the companys exclusive healthcare focus, HIPAA security expertise, and excellent reputation with customers large and small in the industry.

ClearDATA is excited to partner with Tech-Time and provide HIPAA-compliant offsite backup and recovery services to their numerous healthcare clients, said Darin Brannan, CEO of ClearDATA Networks, Inc. Tech-Times in-depth experience and skills in both technology and healthcare enable it to deliver a highly advanced and extremely valuable service to the healthcare community and organizations in Montana.

About Tech-Time, Inc.

Tech-Time specializes in meeting the information processing needs of rural healthcare providers while meeting the standards of the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Our products and services are oriented toward satisfaction of the unique clinical, fiscal and management requirements of non-urban providers. We are a service oriented company focused on proactively addressing the ever-changing demands of the healthcare industry. For more information, visit http://www.techtimeinc.com.

About ClearDATA Networks, Inc.

ClearDATA Networks, Inc. is the market leader for cloud computing and information security services for healthcare providers, software vendors and VARs, and 100% dedicated to the healthcare field. ClearDATAs services enable providers to fully automate and securely manage healthcare medical records, applications, IT infrastructure and digital storage. The company provides HITECH HIPAA-compliant cloud and hosting infrastructure and managed cloud services, offsite backup and disaster recovery, medical image archiving, healthcare information security and world-class support. The company also offers HIPAA Security Risk and Remediation services to hospitals and providers in order to ensure that they meet the rigorous standards of HIPAA security required for protected health information to demonstrate Meaningful Use and to ensure a highly secure environment prior to enabling a HealthDATA Cloud platform installation. For more information, call 602-635-4000, email: sales(at)cleardata(dot)net or visit: http://www.cleardata.net.

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Tech-Time Selects ClearDATA HIPAA-Compliant Offsite Backup & Recovery Service for 25 Hospitals