Palmetto Health Selects Ekahau for Campus Wide Asset Tracking


Palmetto Health deploys the Ekahau Wi-Fi Real-Time Location System in its Richland campus to track hospital equipment and other valuable assets.

Saratoga, CA, - April 7th, 2005 - Ekahau today 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 PC's, 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. For more information about Ekahau or LBE Partner Program, please visit at www.ekahau.com

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