Tahoe Forest Health System has decided to migrate to Aruba Mobile-First network to modernise its patient care infrastructure and improve bottom line.
By replacing its existing Cisco network and standardising on Aruba for its two critical access hospitals and six specialty clinics, Tahoe Forest will be able to save from $750,000 to $1m of operational expenses over the next five years.
The organisation, which serves about 150,000 patients per annum, believes that the technology upgrade will enhance network performance and simplify its IT management.
Tahoe Forest chief information and innovation officer Jake Dorst said that existing Cisco network was too expensive to maintain, and the institution had to also simplify and right-size its infrastructure.
Dorst added: “We want to put every dollar we spend towards patient care.”
“We realised that if we could save on network infrastructure costs, those dollars could be put back into new construction and improving services for the community and our patients.”
In collaboration with WrightCore of Nashville, Tahoe Forest implemented Aruba Access Points and Mobility Controllers, Aruba Access Switches, AirWave for network management and ClearPass for full wireless and wired Network Access Control (NAC).
Additionally, the healthcare provider is using ArubaOS 8 and the Live Upgrade feature enables it to upgrade the entire network in real time without affecting users or medical devices.
Tahoe Forest Health System operates Incline Village Community Hospital in Incline Village, Nevada, and Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, California.
It also manages six specialty clinics including the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, which, in partnership with UC Davis, provides cancer treatment in a rural setting.
The new Aruba Wi-Fi network is critical for keeping Incline Village connected with Tahoe Forest’s Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) system so doctors can access patient records and view imaging.
After performing X-ray, CT and MRI imaging at the main campus, these can be shared with other facilities over the network.
Also, the Aruba network enables doctors and nurses to access information that is vital for accurate patient diagnosis and an appropriate treatment.