Saratoga, CA, April, 2005 Ekahau has
announced that Palmetto Health, the leading healthcare provider
in South Carolina, has chosen the Ekahau RTLS (Real-Time Location
System) solution as the basis for tracking critical hospital equipment
and assets within its Richland campus. The Ekahau RTLS system
provides real-time visibility into the whereabouts of critical
enterprise resources, assets and people, in indoor and campus
environments. Unlike other tracking solutions, the Ekahau system
uses the existing Wi-Fi network as the means to locate small Wi-Fi
radio tags that can be attached to virtually any object.
The Ekahau deployment at Palmetto Health Richland will consist
of the main building and the Cancer Center, where the campus already
has a Wi-Fi network in place. The Ekahau solution being deployed
consists of the Ekahau Positioning Engine 3.1, Ekahau T-201 tags
and the Ekahau RTLS application suite that extends asset visibility
onto any browser-based device on the campus. Using the Ekahau
RTLS solution, the biomedical team , caregivers and other staff
at Palmetto Health Richland will be able to locate all tagged
assets, such as infusion pumps, patient beds, wheelchairs and
other medical equipment in real-time throughout the campus using
Pocket PCs, C.O.W ( Computer on Wheels ) carts or any computer
workstation on the Richland campus. Using the Ekahau system, also
other wireless devices, such as Laptops, PDAs, and handheld barcode
readers with built-in Wi-Fi can be tracked.
"We are very excited to have been chosen by a prestigious
healthcare provider such as Palmetto Health as their partner for
deploying our location tracking solutions" said Mr. Tuomo
Rutanen, VP Business Development, Ekahau, Inc. "The Ekahau
RTLS solution is an ideal fit for Palmetto Health Richland, allowing
them to leverage their installed 802.11 network for asset tracking
ultimately throughout the entire campus.
Palmetto Health Richland chose to work with Ekahau because it
will gain a tremendous cost savings advantage by leveraging their
existing Wi-Fi network. Other benefits include being able to quickly
install and commission the Ekahau RTLS system without disrupting
any of the day to day operations Palmetto Health Richland hopes
to increase the capabilities of the Ekahau system to cover the
entire campus which will be completely Wi-Fi enabled in 2005.
This will allow other departments to gain valuable workflow and
throughput enhancements.
Due to the quick installation of the Ekahau RTLS system, healthcare
facilities such as Palmetto Health Richland will begin generating
a payback within months. The Ekahau system provides a tangible
Return on Investment (ROI) in various forms. These include the
ability to reduce equipment rentals, optimize usage of the existing
asset base, reduce theft and accidental losses as well as reduce
the staff time spent looking for critical patient care equipment.
In the case of Palmetto Health Richland, the Ekahau RTLS solution
drives efficiencies by reducing the amount of time their hospital
staff spend looking for medical equipment and eliminating expensive
rental programs. Palmetto Health Richland will also be able to
manage their excess capacity costs by reducing their annual recapitalization
of missing, lost or stolen equipment.
About Palmetto Health
Palmetto Health is South Carolina's largest and most comprehensive
healthcare resource. In our progressive environment, the latest
technology and treatment protocols go hand-in-hand with quality
patient care. Our system is composed of three outstanding hospitals-Palmetto
Health Richland, and Palmetto Health Baptist in Columbia and Easley.
Each year, our hospitals treat nearly a half million patients,
welcome nearly 6,300 babies into the world, treat more than 82,000
pediatric patients and 3,000 cancer patients, accommodate 129,000
Emergency department visits and make nearly 50,000 home care visits.
About Ekahau, Inc.
Ekahau, Inc. is the industry leader in location-enabling Wi-Fi
networks. Ekahau's customers include leading corporations around
the world that are realizing the benefits of Wi-Fi-based location
services and innovative network planning and optimization tools.
Ekahau partners include wireless software developers, leading
system integrators, and international OEM partners, who develop
and market next generation location-based applications.