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GuestGate™ Case Study: BioLogix, Inc. - San Antonio, TX

CHALLENGE

How medical facilities can provide efficient and inexpensive Internet access to patients, vendors and consultants without compromising the security of facility and client records.

SOLUTION

Connect the host network to INTELLINET NETWORK SOLUTIONS’™ innovative new product GuestGate™. GuestGate allows patients full Internet access while protecting critical networks that control surgeries, patient privacy and facility business records. It also allows visitors to access the Internet instead of just watching TV or reading magazines for hours as they wait for family and friends.

BENEFITS

With an introductory MSRP under $250, GuestGate provides plug-and-play installation and configuration-free client operation at a fraction of the cost of installing a traditional Internet access system. GuestGate also comes with a lifetime warranty.

GuestGate Upgrades Waiting Room Options

It’s a question medical office managers routinely ask their IT administrators: “Could we provide wireless Internet access in our waiting room?”

Until now, the answer was disappointing.

HIPAA regulations require protection of patient records in a secure environment. Maintaining compliance while providing Internet access to visitors has been, at best, a complex proposition. When adding in the cost to deploy traditional network options, typically $3,000 or more, the prognosis looked especially bleak. And that prescription is cheap. Other, more cost-prohibitive solutions, like adding a dedicated network with expensive installation charges and monthly Internet fees, left some IT administrators ill.

GuestGate offers just what the doctor ordered: an affordable Internet access solution for visitors that keeps the host network secure.

“You plug one end of the box into the network and one end into the Internet access point. It’s that easy. Clients no longer have to install switches utilizing VLAN technologies and protocols to protect patient records,” said Chuck Colley, president of San Antonio, Texas-based BioLogix Inc., a 20-year-old medical IT solution provider with offices in Phoenix, Las Vegas and the Midwest.

BioLogix has installed three GuestGate systems to date and has plans to deliver another 20 to current clients, ranging from outpatient medical centers to U.S. Army and Navy facilities.

Other methods of securing a medical network for guest access require IT administrators to document isolation of patient information. GuestGate does not; because of the way it was designed, the isolation can take place automatically.

“Because of new federal privacy laws for patient healthcare information, every medical facility must employ policies requiring IT to document security,” Colley said. “That’s complicated. But GuestGate does that for you. It couldn’t be easier.” That’s because GuestGate automatically prevents visitors from accessing the private network or other visitors’ systems.

Staff members of the Dallas Endoscopy Center, a BioLogix client that utilizes GuestGate, encourage patients to enjoy the Internet at their office. Patients often wait for hours in medical facilities before and after meeting with physicians and technicians. Access to the Web allows clients to relax. Today’s time-conscious and computer-savvy client can fill downtime by communicating with friends and family, conducting business or enjoying the entertainment value of the Internet. GuestGate users enter a temporary password before accessing the Internet and immediately obtain online access. Bandwidth control is available to the facility providing GuestGate.

GuestGate also ensures total security for visitors’ computers by providing the option to restrict connections between guest users, provided through Layer 3 Client Isolation technology. And mobile users do not have to change their IP settings. GuestGate automatically makes the host network compatible with the guest computer.

“Just about every client we have with a waiting room expresses interest in GuestGate because it offers simple and secure Internet access. Before this new product, the expense didn’t justify the convenience. Now there’s a paradigm shift. GuestGate makes secure guest access affordable, so everybody wants to provide this service to their customers.”