NTC 361 Hospital Network Design Presentation Slides AND Notes WEEK 3 PDF

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WEEK 3 PRESENTATION...

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NTC 361 HOSPITAL NETWORK DESIGN PRESENTATION SLIDES AND NOTES WEEK 3 Introduction Network topologies Network infrastructure 

Network security

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Upgrading telecommunications

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Current

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SystemsAccounting and Finance Information System

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Human Resources Information System

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Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Information System

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Knowledge Management (KM) Information System

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According to Hart (n.d.) an information system is defined as “… a collection of people, procedures, and equipment designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to collect, record, process, store, retrieve, and display information” (pg. 1). The variety of information systems used by Patton-Fuller hospital includes the activities of processing and storing the data needed to support daily operational needs. By using an existing telephone system Patton-Fuller hospital is cost-efficient and can constantly set up expanding communication needs. This also allows more interaction between different areas of the Patton-Fuller organization. Current information systems that use existing telephone systems include Accounting and Finance Information system, Human Resources Information System, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Information System, and Knowledge Management (KM) Information System (Apollo Group, 2013).

Telephone Systems 

Easier communication

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Saves time

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Voicemails

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More complications

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Downtime

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Stress and hold times

The advantages would outweigh the disadvantages at the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital for their employees and patients. With a telephone system they would be able to communicate easier with not only their patients but the other employees within their hospital. There are times that a call may come in for an employee that is located on a completely different floor then the person answering the call and it is much easier and quicker to just transfer the call to that employee. This not only saves time but the person on the other end of the call will get a faster response. By having a telephone system within the hospital it will also make it easier for voice mails to be retrieved by more then one employee. This will help in the work load for all employees involved and save time and money for the hospital. Some of the disadvantages are that if the phone system should happen to go down or there are complications with it then it will affect the entire hospital and all offices involved. There can also be more complications that arise with a telephone system like long hold times for the patient calling in. With a telephone system the hospital will also want to make sure that they have an excellent customer service department that will be handling these calls when they first come in to the hospital (Conrad, 2014). Integrating Telecommunications 

Telephone

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Cable-television

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Video-on-demand

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Set of services

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One or multiple integrated bitways

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Diverse set of applications

Upgrading the telecommunications network can be a very beneficial move to improve access to care, patient satisfaction, and ease the workload on physicians. How the telecommunications network is integrated will determine the success or failure of the system. The integration process (from start to finish) should be carefully planned out by determining what the needs of the company and the patients are. A good way to start this planning is to use vertical and horizontal integration. The type of vertical integration (such as telephone, cable-television, or video-on-demand) or combination of types needs to be determined according to the needs of personnel and the community (Messerschmitt, 1996). The quantity and quality of such information will help the organization to determine exactly what type of services should be used. This is the horizontal integration. According to Messerschmitt (1996) horizontal integration is: • One or more integrated bitways that transport integrated data and stream media like audio and video with configurable quality-of-service (QoS) parameters (bitrate, delay, and reliability).

• A set of services, such as middleware services (directory, electronic funds transfer, privacy key management, etc.) and media services (audio, video, etc.) that are made universally available to applications. • A diverse set of applications made available to the user (pg. 4). Recommendations for Changes 

Limit the number of software programs

The recommendation for changes for this hospital would be to limit the number of software programs within the hospitals network system. This would not only save time for the employees but would also save money for the hospital. By combining the software programs it would make is easier on the employees to all have access to a main software program on the network. This would also help with the communication of all employees within the hospital on the network and would help in transmitting information between the different departments. Administrative Departments of the Hospital 

The top-most management of the hospital

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Human resources department

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Operations department

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Facilities department

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Finance department

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Information Technology and Data Center

Data is communicated either within or without through OSI (Open System Interconnection) model. To make their services available to the patients and their families with the latest technology, the organization is equipped for wireless connection, WAN (Wide Access Network) for both internal and external Wi-Fi, so patients are able to use the Internet. The internal Wi-Fi is used so the staff has the ability to conveniently use an iPad to which 10 is supplied per floor and complies with HIPAA regulations. Clinical Departments of the Hospital 

Operating rooms

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Laboratories

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Radiology room

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Intensive care unit

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Emergency room

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Clinical departments’ methods of documentation are done through the Apple iMacs from which the WPA (Wireless Access Point) are required in certain areas of the floors. Radiology department requires nodes specific to images as well as specific printers to print detailed digital images. Since the hospital must follow HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) rules, PHI (Patient Health Information) is marked and will require recognition and confirmation from each user to be able to retrieve data or information for any patient information.

Rationale for the Adoption of Existing Topologies 

Two system networks throughout the facility

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Networks are connected by a Network Bridge

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Many nodes in each network

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All nodes connected to

Ethernet backbone

There are two system networks at Patton-Fuller Community Hospital consisting of administrative functions network and clinical areas network. Both the administrative functions network and the clinical areas network are connected by a Network bridge. There are many different workstations for each of these networks. Each of the workstations have multiple nodes. All of the nodes are connected to a Ethernet backbone, which is either 1000 BaseT or 1000 BaseF (Apollo Group, 2013). The layout of the facility coupled with the amount of networks, workstations, and nodes fit the physical bus topology better than the other topology options. There are other topologies, such as the star, that could also work well with this facility. However, for the time being the physical bus topology seems to be a good fit. Bus Topology 

Inexpensive to install

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Easy to use

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Ability to add or remove a computer

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Simpler troubleshooting

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Limit on amount of computers

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Limit on cable length

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Entire network brought down by a single break

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Limitations on connection

Patton-Fuller Community Hospital currently uses the bus topology. There are many advantages and disadvantages of the physical bus topology. One of the biggest benefits is that this method is much cheaper than some of the other methods available. Both installation and extension of the bus topology are inexpensive. It is also the easiest of the methods for installation and extension because nodes can be modifies (removed or added) without messing with the network. Another advantage of the bus topology is that it is easier than other methods when it comes to troubleshooting. This is because “… sections can be isolated and tested independently” (Katherine Lady Berkeley’s School, n.d., para. 9). The disadvantages of the physical bus topology seem to outweigh the advantages. A disadvantage of this method is that there is a limit on the amount of computers that can be on each cable. There is also a limit on the length of the cable. The limit for computers is 30 and the limit for the cable is 185 meters (Tomsho, 2011). Another disadvantage is that the entire network can be brought down with “Any break in the bus …” (Tomsho, 2011, para. 6). This can also happen temporarily when a computer or device is added or removed. When using the physical bus topology there are limitations on the connection users will receive. “Technologies using this topology are limited to 10Mbps half-duplex communication because they use coaxial cabling …” (Tomsho, 2011, para. 6). Cabling and Topology 

Bus Topology

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Ring Topology

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Star Topology

With the bus tropology as shown in the diagram the computers will all connect one at a time. This means that you will start with one computer and connect it to the next and so forth until you have reached the last computer. With the ring tropology also shown in the above diagram all computers will connect with the cabling in a circle so that they are each connected to each other. The third tropology which is the star tropology will be cabled as they will each connect to a main point so that if the cabling happens to have a break in it and an issue occurs it will only affect the one computer that the cable is going to. With the bus and ring topologies if there is an issue with a cable it will affect all computers connected to that network with the cable (TWU Local, 2014). Recommendations for Changes

The recommendations for hospital with the cabling and topology would be to convert the bus topology to the star topology. The reason for this change would be if the hospital was on a star topology instead of the bus topology they are now on then if something should happen to one of the cables they would still have the other computers that would be on the network. This way the employees will still have access to the important data that is stored on these computers. Current Network Types 

LAN (Local Area Network)

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WAN (Wide Area Network)

Here at Patton-Fuller Community Hospital, our team was assigned to upgrade its telecommunications network to improve the quality of health care delivered to hospital patients. There are a variety of networks that can be used with this project but only the best fit network was implemented. LAN is a local are network able to communicate with one another by forwarding packets from one LAN to another by the use of routers. When dealing with a wireless network, LAN wireless components act as part of an ordinary LAN, usually to provide connectivity for mobile users or in changing environments or perhaps across areas that couldn’t otherwise be networked. Examples include older buildings where installing wiring is impractical or areas that encompass public or common property where cabling might not be permitted. Wireless LAN’s uses infrareds, laser, narrowband radio, and spread-spectrum radio as four main technologies for transmitting and receiving data. With upgrading the telecommunications network at Patton-Fuller, using a network that will the transmitting and receiving if data smooth and accessible is a factor that will be greatly considered with doing this project. WAN is a wide area network deployed to exchange data over wide geographical area bigger than a LAN and makes use of phone lines or satellite for transmitting data. According to Rouse (2014), “A wide area network (WAN) may be privately owned or rented, but the term usually connotes the inclusion of public (shared user) networks.” The world’s most popular WAN is the internet. Having a WAN network incorporated in upgrading the telecommunications network at Patton-Fuller will help with the access to a wide vast of information that can be used to help assist in the telecommunications network. The internet is a vital tool to use in the health care field because it gives the use of being able to put your finger on a piece of information immediately that may not be available because of various circumstances. Since Patton-Fuller is a hospital and operates as a large facility, it is important that the network used with the upgrade will be able to exchange data over a large area. In conclusion, when it comes to incorporating a network within a health facility whether it be a small private health are office or a large facility such as a hospital, the type of network used to operate the daily functions of the facility is important and need to be discussed thoroughly before implementation begins. Being mindful of the IT department and the IT members who will have hands on knowledge with the technical aspects of the network is important as well. Our team will use the best networks needed to make sure that the daily productivity of Patton-Fuller will make the flow of work smoother and more

accessible . With how the important it is to incorporate a network that will be fit the need of PattonFuller telecommunications upgrade, the star topology would be the best fit. Local Area Network (LAN) 

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Advantages 

Connection

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Inexpensive

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Simple

Disadvantages 

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Limitations

Local Area Networks (LANs) are only suitable for individual houses or small areas. The connection speed of LANs are generally faster than that of WANs. This is because the network is much smaller. LANs are both inexpensive and easy to install and modify. It does not require much technology or cabling to install a LAN. According to Packetworks (2014) the only materials needed are “… Ethernet cables [and] a network switch …” (para. 5). The major disadvantage to a using a LAN is the limitations on how widespread the network can be. It is basically limited to the length of the Ethernet cable. Wi-Fi can be used with a LAN; however, there are still limitations on how far that signal will reach (Packetworks, 2014).

Wide Area Network (WAN) 

Less limitations

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Connection Speed

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Expensive

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Difficult to install

Wide Area Networks (WANs) are not limited to the length of a cable or signal like LANs are. WANs can be spread out as far as between different countries. The disadvantage of having a widespread network is that the connection speed will be considerably less than that of a tightknit network such as a LAN. If the network is stretched from one city to the next it will receive a much better connection than if it is stretched from one country to another. No matter how far the connection is, WANs are expensive and difficult to install. The expense comes from the amount of materials needed (much more than a Ethernet cable and network switch) to install the network. Professionals are usually always called to install WANs and perform any maintenance because it is very complex and difficult (Packetworks, 2014).

Recommendations for Improvement The recommendations for this hospital would be to change to a WAN Network as it would benefit the hospital greater then being on a LAN Network. The hospital would have less limitations and would be able to access more information and have an easier way of communicating this way. If they were to change over to the WAN Network they would be able to have their entire network connected such as their laptops, phones and computer systems. This may be a little more expensive for the hospital but it should save them money in the long run as they would have a much wider network that all communications for the hospital could be connected to. Current Security Efforts 

Data over device

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Encrypt all email sent and received by personnel via mobile devices

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Auditing tools

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IT security team

It is difficult, if not impossible, to impose a sufficient level of control over employees' mobile devices to ensure data security. Instead, hospitals and other healthcare providers should focus on protecting the data itself and training and educating employees to understand and implement data-protection best practices when using mobile devices. Network security is often overlooked in discussions of healthcare IT security, but it is just as important as issues like mobile device security, anti-hacking measures and efforts to reduce the scope and impact of security breaches. Network security is critical because interconnectedness is the foundation upon which all forward-looking health IT initiatives are based . The healthcare industry has gradually made the switch from written files to computer files. Patient privacy is more valuable than ever. IT security is vital due to the important role computers play in the healthcare industry. Breaches in security since 2009 have become a big problem. In order to better serve the patient IT security needs to be as important as the contents of the patient file. Network security is not always the priority of a healthcare worker. The average healthcare worker is not an IT expert. That is why the healthcare industry needs IT experts to protect patient files. Computers, phones, messages, emails, and other e-communications need to be protected. Security should not be left to the healthcare worker alone. A division within the healthcare company for IT alone should be mandatory. Since 2009, the United States Government has promoted electronic files (Millman, 2014). Due to the incentives, most healthcare facilities have transferred to electronic files. In the last five years, 30 million patient files have been hacked or compromised (Millman, 2014). Patient files contain medical history, payment methods, insurance, addresses, phone numbers, and other important information. This should

be unacceptable to the healthcare industry. Patient/doctor privilege has always been expected. However, the new breaches in security have shaken the trust of patients, and doctors as well. Patient files should be shared within the proper channels. Labs, doctors, and nurses should have a patient file available. Kwon and Johnson (2014) suggest that proactive approaches are better than reactive. The premise is breaches will occur. The goal is to limit the breaches, or lessen the impact of an occurring breach. Individual IT security for each healthcare hospital, clinic, or other setting should be in place. A specific IT security team can be familiar with the individual healthcare setting’s needs. Breaches will occur. However, a strong IT team can minimize the br...