Advanced Cellular Services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, is nearing completion in its distributed antenna system providing access to Sprint PCS cellular services. Sources within Sprint; Kaval, the vendor providing the antenna system and VUMC are about to announce the details of this +$1 million system.
Sprint is the exclusive carrier and has subsidized the planning and installation of this system. Multiple vendors were brought in by Sprint to do the initial site surveys. Kaval, was selected for their antenna system which would take advantage of the dedicated basestation which Sprint provided.
Speaking with Rick Carlton, the telecom system architect at VUMC, I discovered that the system currently supports 4 patient care areas with a fifth about to come online. The oldest building involved was built in the 1920s. Usually older building have greater problems with dead spots due to shielding issues. Clinical applications utilizing XML are under development. Also included are Sprint's push-to-talk services.
According to Kaval, there are more rollouts in major cities about to be announced. I should be able to provide the details as they become available on this blog.
I consider this news item quite significant, because combined with the various vendors who are already developing applications for clinical support using smartphones, the spread of cellular services to hospitals and clinics is vastly unreported. It's necessary for clinicians to be aware of the latest possibilities in order to play an active role in directing the planning and implementation of these systems.
7:19:51 AM 
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