Press Releases

Budapest, October 9, 2007 13:00

On October 9, 2007 the representatives of Cisco Hungary and T-Systems officially handed over to the Bethesda Hospital the world-standard IT system that the two companies decided to donate this last spring. Besides implementing the most state-of-the-art information and communication solutions, the project has also produced a so-called White Book which records every phase of the development from the first steps to delivery with the involvement of health experts. The fast return of the costs of the new infocommunications system is supported by calculations based on a string of quality and quantity indicators, so the White Book embodies a know-how which can be of great assistance for other health institutions in implementing similar projects.

Tibor Rékasi, managing director of Cisco Hungary, and Zoltán Tankó, director of T-Systems, formally presented the protocol representing the completion of the system worth HUF 130 million to Dr. György Velkey, general director of the Bethesda Hospital, and the White Book containing the detailed description of the project to health minister Dr. Ágnes Horváth.

The most up-to-date infocommunication equipment and services were implemented in the past seven months in two Budapest buildings of the Bethesda Hospital, which operated with 135 active beds; new wireline and wireless networks, new computers and printers, clinical and management software, patient call and routing system, IP telephony and related dual-phone solution, radio frequency identification system (RFID), electronic signature, remote learning solution and numerous other new solutions have been commissioned in the facilities which all serve to raise the standard of patient care, improve the feeling of comfort of the patients and achieve more efficient operation. The donation also includes 3 years of operation of the equipment and background support by T-Systems.

All the infocommunications equipment of the new system has been delivered by Cisco, while seamless implementation, operation and project management have been ensured by the competence of T-Systems in this project.

"We experience the beneficial effects of the new infrastructure every day. Our doctors can hold teleconferences, and can access patient information and real-time test results via wireless computers within the hospital grounds, and through secure internet connection outside the hospital. The patient calling and routing system helps reduce waiting times and makes the work of the doctors more calculable", said general director Dr. György Velkey, praising the innovative solutions of the new system. "The project is an important step forward also from an economic aspect because, in contrast to the earlier parallel (telephone and computer) networks, the hospital now needs to operate only a single IP network which carries all voice, data and video information. Besides, the employees can use the in-house wireline telephone network and some mobile sets free of charge, and the RFID system also prevents the disappearance of valuable equipment", he added.

"This development fills me with joy for several reasons. Firstly, the completed projects are the forerunners of the higher quality and steadily improving health-care system targeted by the reform. Secondly, the initiative is a fine example of the cooperation of business players, the health and the civil sectors. I consider these initiatives reflecting the social responsibility of Hungarian enterprises to be important and praiseworthy. Thirdly, it gives me special joy that the project has been implemented in a children’s hospital as the Health Ministry is paying distinguished attention to providing high-standard, fast, comfortable and reliable healthcare for children. I wish to extend my thanks to the two companies for their donation, and I hope their example will be followed by many more!", said health minister Dr. Ágnes Horváth when accepting the White Book.

"The decision-makers of the health sector have also realised the importance the IT networks can play in the attainment of their strategic objectives. In the case of the health-care institutions the intelligent network can function as a digital nervous system connecting the different hospital applications, systems and equipment, whether wireless equipment, virtual conferences of specialists or communication between patients and their families, or solutions serving the entertainment of the patients. These IT solutions not only help raise efficiency but can also create an innovative revenue-generation source for the health institutions, which were unthinkable earlier. One case in point is remote diagnostics which enables doctors to set up a diagnosis from the test results   - CT or MRI images   - received from a partner institution at any point of the world that has signed a cooperation agreement with that institution", said Tibor Rékasi, managing director of Cisco Hungary.

"The aim of the project was to establish an infocommunication system which will bring qualitative improvement in patient care and in the efficiency of medical work. The workers of the hospital will receive every infocommunication support they may need in their work, and by using the most innovative IT equipment, they can devote most of their time and energy to healing patients. In addition to the above, this new system also sets up a model which can be used as reference in the future in many other Hungarian hospitals for the establishment and operation of state-of-the-art network infrastructure. Over the longer term, by establishing similar systems and connecting several more hospitals, a uniform and efficient network can be created which will improve the standard of the entire Hungarian health-care system", said Zoltán Tankó, manager of T-Systems.

The White Book
The White Book produced by the project contains the results of the new IT system in terms of figures, and highlights the benefits achievable with such projects and the return of such investments. The White Book says, for example, that even a “small” hospital like Bethesda can save HUF 5.5 million annually through the improvement of outpatient care and HUF 5.2 million in operating costs due to the integrated operation. The data also reveal that the hospital can save 712 working hours annually thanks to the electronic X-ray, ultrasound and laboratory appointments, that it can free 2000 data entry hours annually by connecting in a system the automatic laboratory equipment, or that the remote control of the boiler house and the heating system can also bring in HUF 1.7 million saving annually. Here are a few interesting facts from the White Book, but many more could be cited:

• IT cost per patient care decreased from HUF 197 to 164.
• The specific operating cost of the equipment decreased from HUF 10 to 0.3.
• Patient logistics functions increased from 2 to 10.
• System stoppages per year decreased from 120 to 2 hours.
• The average age of the IT assets decreased from 5.5 to 1.5 years.
• The percentage of wireless equipment increased from 0.7% to 22%.
• The percentage of telephone sets offering premium services increased from 2% to 30%.
• Digital signatures increased from 1.6% to 9.6%.
• Workstations with internet access increased from 70 to 177.

Briefly about the background of the Bethesda Hospital project
The project worth a total of HUF 130 million comprises HUF 65 million worth of Cisco equipment and HUF 5 million worth of services, and HUF 20 million worth of Magyar Telekom T-Systems equipment and HUF 30 million worth of services. The hospital itself contributed to the project with HUF 10 million, and will spend another HUF 10 million annually on the operation of the system.
The two companies selected the Bethesda Children’s Hospital in a process that lasted almost a year. The selection criteria included well-definable project size, transparent hospital operation processes, positive management approach and the provision of the professional background and co-financing by the hospital which were indispensable for the success of the project.