Managing the hospital’s wireless technology

UC Davis Medical Center is the only hospital north of San Jose with a wireless network that allows staff, patients and visitors alike to logon to the Internet from any location within the building.

Since last year, the medical center has provided Internet access for visitors and patients through a fee-based service with Sprint. It is available to anyone who has a laptop with a Wi-Fi card or mobile device embedded with wireless technology. After powering up a computer, users are automatically directed to the health system's "splash" Web page — which includes a Sprint logon window and several Internet links — including the health system and the main UC Davis campus Web sites that can be accessed at no charge.

Being at the forefront in the use of technology in the health-care environment comes with both benefits and responsibilities. The IS and Clinical Information Systems departments are working together to manage the high-tech devices used around the hospital in order to avoid technical disruptions and conflicts. They have established a Wireless Access Committee to evaluate Wi-Fi-capable units that consume significant bandwidth or send continuous and frequent signals to access points that can cause interference. The committee also reviews unapproved medical devices and evaluates wireless devices that could pose potential security risks.

"Any systems, devices, applications or equipment requiring connectivity to the hospital's wireless network must be processed through an IS service request, said Lori Dickinson-Miller, a project analyst and member of the wireless committee. "To make things quicker and easier for staff, these requests can be submitted electronically."

Dickinson-Miller said the service requests can be found at https://drapp5.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/gwisoft/help/isr.nsf/ or as a link within the Lotus Notes workspace.

The wireless committee is responsible for monitoring the Wi-Fi network's performance and security, and is in charge of tracking the development of wireless network technology, including any enhancements to the medical center system. Additional wireless projects under consideration include the use of active radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) and wireless bar coding. These additions to the system could speed up the delivery and tracking of everything from equipment to patient medications.

Policies regarding the health system's wireless information technology, infrastructure resource allocation, and security standards can be viewed online at:

* http://intranet.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/policies/hosp/1328.html

* http://intranet.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/policies/hosp/1328(1).html

* http://intranet.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/policies/hosp/1329.html

Anyone with questions about the Wi-Fi network and systems should contact Dickinson-Miller at (916) 734-4988.