CALABASAS, Calif., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel today announced availability of an integrated voice, data and video communication solution package for health care providers. This end-to-end portfolio of products provides health care professionals and administrators with advanced solutions to continually improve workflows and mobile communications aimed at delivering timely and cost-efficient care to patients. The Alcatel solution package delivers a real-time, dynamic communication network that reduces operating costs through very high uptime, unmatched flexibility, scalability for growth, and simplified management -- all without compromising security that protects the confidentiality between health care providers and patients.
Alcatel has demonstrated success in the health care industry by delivering solutions that provide multi-connectivity, disaster recovery, secure mobility and real-time collaboration applications to healthcare organizations and administrative offices -- both large and small -- across North America.
"Alcatel recognizes that today's health care industry is focused on delivering quality patient care and that advanced communications solutions can greatly impact the way health care organizations operate and provide this care," said Jean-Christophe Giroux, president, Alcatel's enterprise solutions activities. "Additionally, Alcatel is committed to compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the US, as well as providing user-centric solutions in which every user, be it a doctor, nurse or technician, has immediate access to critical information from any mobile or fixed device, using any mode of connectivity."
Working with Alcatel on third party applications, XTEND Communications Corporation President and CEO, Bill Schwartz noted that Alcatel's health care solution package goes beyond PBX capabilities to become a fully integrated communications system specifically for health care. "Alcatel is positioned as the only IP-PBX system on the market to integrate directly to Health Level 7 (HL7), which focuses on the U.S. interface requirements of the entire health care organization. Alcatel's communications system enables health care professionals to meet the daily challenges to deliver efficient care."
"We believe real-time collaboration addresses the ongoing challenges of cost containment, streamlined operations and ultimately patient safety," said Alcatel customer Dan Weegar, vice president Advocate Health Care. "Tools like tele-scheduling and appointment notification from Alcatel would help our company to contact patients and ensure appointments are made or kept, thus maintaining patient health and assuring millions of dollars are not lost on missed appointments."
The Alcatel health care solution portfolio includes the following components:
* Alcatel OmniSwitch -- voice-over-IP (VoIP) ready Ethernet LAN core and closet switching platforms that provide high availability, security and manageability * Alcatel OmniAccess -- scalable, highly secure wireless LAN and wide area access solutions for converged voice and data enterprise networks * Alcatel OmniPCX Enterprise -- industry-leading IP communication system (IP-PBX) designed to meet a wide range of telephony needs, from small and medium-size retirement homes to large campus-style hospitals * Alcatel IP Touch phones -- advanced IP phones that deliver advanced call features and integration with critical health care applications to maintain compliance with U.S. HIPAA regulations * Alcatel wireless phones -- complete wireless solution (PWT/DECT and wireless LAN) fully integrated with nurse calling systems and various applications, such as CodeBlue and bed tracking applications * Alcatel OmniTouch Unified Communications -- an integrated suite of unified communications software, featuring knowledge sharing and collaboration through voice, video and data conferencing * Alcatel OmniTouch and Genesys contact center solutions -- provides patient support across voice, e-mail and Web contacts, as well as answering/message services (24x7), emergency services, and appointment scheduling * Advanced Applications -- a complete set of 3rd party health care applications pre-packaged with the Alcatel OmniPCX Enterprise solution specifically designed to improve the patient experience, personnel productivity and efficiency for doctors and nurses, and health care provider revenue generation * Alcatel Professional Services -- support for designing, planning, integrating and implementing the solution
"A state of the art communications infrastructure enables patient, clinical, pharmaceutical, and corporate data to be readily available to all users and applications to operate at maximum efficiency, and the latter is what health care administrators are looking for," Weager added.
Alcatel's health care solutions will be showcased at VoiceCon beginning on August 30 in San Diego, where Advocate Health Care will be participating in a user panel. In addition, Alcatel will be hosting seminars in the following months that will discuss how to build a dynamic communications system for health care. More information can be found at http://www.usa.alcatel.com/partners/seminars .
About Alcatel's enterprise solutions
With more than 500,000 customers, Alcatel is a leading provider of communication solutions to small, medium, and large enterprises, as well as to public sector institutions worldwide. Alcatel's enterprise portfolio provides business communication applications, including Unified Communications and Contact Centers, an advanced IP Telephony offering, and IP Networking products. Alcatel's enterprise solutions deliver an enhanced competitive edge to businesses of all sizes by increasing customer satisfaction, employee productivity, and operational efficiencies.
About Alcatel
Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or to their employees. Alcatel leverages its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services to bring value to its customers in the framework of a broadband world. With sales of EURO 12.3 billion in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com
AlcatelCONTACT: press, Tracy Dupree, +1-818-878-4408, or tracy.dupree@alcatel.com, or investor relations, Pascal Bantegnie, +33-0-1-40-76-52-20, orpascal.bantegnie@alcatel.com , or Nicolas Leyssieux, +33-0-1-40-76-37-32,or nicolas.leyssieux@alcatel.com , or Maria Alcon, +33-0-1-40-76-15-17, ormaria.alcon@alcatel.com , or Charlotte Laurent- Ottomane, +1-703-668-3571,or charlotte.laurent-ottomane@alcatel.com , all of Alcatel
