Health Business

The threats are twofold: firstly, patient and visitor use of mobile phones could reduce revenue streams derived from payphones and chargeable telephony services; secondly, they could encourage members of staff to call colleagues on mobile phones as default, resulting in significantly higher mobile phone bills.

The initial opportunities include easier contactability of key staff, elimination of in-building wireless solutions and walkie-talkies, and the delivery of higher levels of patient care due to faster response times.

ATC Solutions offers UK trusts the ability to realise these opportunities, plus further opportunities, whilst eliminating the above threats. The communications industry has been talking for some time about the potential for “Fixed Mobile Convergence” (FMC), yet the benefits and enabling solutions have been slow to materialise. This impasse situation has now changed, and ATC Solutions can deliver the complete technology capability to healthcare institutions.

The use of GSM devices for in-building voice communications offers significant advantages over existing wireless technologies such as DECT and wireless LAN. Namely the devices are cheaper (and frequently users already have one), battery life is higher, employees are more familiar with the user interface, base station range is superior, and capability like “push to talk” exists to replicate walkie-talkie functionality.

GSM mobile phones can be restricted to use in the “micro” environment for staff that do not need to leave the campus. All internal calls are free on the network and external calls are at standard fixed line rates, not higher mobile rates. Employees who require to leave the campus or be contacted out of hours – e.g. clinicians and managers – can use the same device in the “macro” environment, which is the public GSM network. Off campus calls are charged at normal mobile rates, but as soon as they are within range of the campus network, the call charges drop or are eliminated entirely.

When combined with intelligent numbering solutions, key personnel can be reached on a single number (or via speech recognition) on the most appropriate device, via the most cost-effective route. They can take calls at their desk, logged on at a temporary work location, at home, roaming on-campus, or mobile in the field. Only one number need be publicised, and the trust benefits by only paying for mobile call charges if that is the only way the employee can be reached.

Finally, the same technology could allow the trust to rent handsets to inpatients, with a reduced call rate compared to their own mobile phones, and benefit from continuing to have internal and external calls being made via the trust’s telephone network. Thus, the combination of IP communications and FMC can deliver a solution that (a) reduces costs; (b) drives new revenue streams; and (c) enables superior connectivity thanks to single numbering.

For more information
www.atcommunications.co.uk