Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute Improves Quality of Medical Care With Cisco Technology

Prestigious Czech Health Care Institute Recognized With Cisco Innovation Award

BRNO, Czech Republic, March 28, 2011 – Cisco today announced that the wireless network deployed at Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute was recognized as the “Most Innovative Mobility Project” at Cisco Live! London last month. The project aimed at improving the quality of medical care and cost management through the use of wireless technologies and related applications. The new network, based on Cisco® technologies, enables access to medical records from the patient’s bedside via tablet PCs and the tracking of patients and medical equipment via location-based services.

Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute (MMCI) in Brno was established in 1935. In 2010, it treated close to 200,000 cancer patients. The institute belongs to the leading Comprehensive Cancer Centres in Czech Republic and enjoys an international reputation.

Key Facts / Highlights

• MMCI’s new network is based on the Cisco Medical Grade Network architecture. The highly secure Cisco unified wireless network provides access to the hospital information system, the picture archiving and communication system, and electronic health records.
• The wireless network also helped enable MMCI to introduce location-based services with radio frequency identification technology. Patients receive tags with RFID chips and can call for help by pressing a button, and nurses can easily locate them no matter where they are in the hospital campus. The patient tag also enables identification in cases when a disoriented patient leaves the safe areas (entering the basement, for example, or attempting to leave the institution without authorisation).
• High-value medical equipment is also fitted with RFID tags to simplify inventory processes, help locate devices and protect against theft.
• The project was designed and implemented by Unis Computers, a Cisco Premier Certified Partner in the Czech Republic. To support funding, MMCI received a European Union grant from the Integrated Operational Programme for Regional Development.

Supporting Quotes:

• Marek Svoboda, MD, PhD, deputy director for Development, Science and Training, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute

“Doctors often need medical images or laboratory test results at the patient’s bedside to verify how the patient’s condition corresponds to those records. Immediate access to such information saves time for doctors and means better care for patients. Time spent on administrative tasks has been reduced by 15 percent.”

• Jiri Devát, general manager, Cisco Czech Republic

“Improving patient care is the most important task for hospitals and health care institutions, despite economic constraints. Connecting medical applications, systems and devices to the network speeds up decision-making, enables sharing of information, and increases the availability of services. The network is like the digital nervous system for the hospital, an environment that enables doctors to work efficiently.”

• Petr Lacina, director, Technology Department, Unis Computers

“I am very proud of the fact that we installed the wireless network and put the system into operation within three months. An added value for patients is that they can stay in touch with family and friends using the Wi-Fi network.”

Tags, Keywords:

Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Cisco, Unis Computers, Czech Republic, wireless, mobility, healthcare

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Supporting resources:

• Video from the Cisco Live! Award ceremony can be accessed here
• Cisco website
• Read more about Cisco Connected Health

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is provided by Cisco Systems International B.V. and Cisco International Limited, wholly owned subsidiaries of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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