Largest Healthcare Organizations Leading Wireless Computing Revolution
Physician practices lagging, but expected to catch up in two years

Atlanta, GA - The adoption of wireless computing technology in healthcare, allowing caregivers the ability to access, update and transmit critical patient and treatment information using radio signals instead of hardwired systems or paper-based records, is being led by the largest organizations among four healthcare provider segments surveyed in a study just released by Atlanta based Zesearch, Inc.

The report, titled "Wireless Computing in Healthcare" details the current and expected adoption rates, desired healthcare functionality, preferred devices, vendor awareness, and buying criteria for four main segments of healthcare delivery organizations: integrated delivery networks (IDNs), hospitals, clinics and physician practices.

Survey data from interviews with IT decision-makers in these organizations show that 61% of integrated delivery networks (chains of hospitals) and 36% of independent hospitals have implemented a wireless computing system somewhere in their organizations. This compares with only 3% of clinics and 8% of physician practices.

"Different factors explain the current adoption rates of these four groups", said Brian Zeman, CEO of Zesearch and one of the authors of the report. "IDNs and hospitals tend to have numerous care giving units and individual caregivers widely distributed in large installations - multiple installations in the case of IDNs. So, the utility of untethered computing is much more obvious to them."

Zeman added that clinics tend to have extremely tight budgets, often relying on charitable contributions and volunteer labor to keep running. Physician offices tend to have available funds for IT investments, but prefer to be late adopters of information technologies. Also, for clinics and physician offices the utility and potential savings of wireless computing is not as immediately obvious as in larger organizations.

In broad terms the wireless market comprises everything from nationwide cellular telephone networks to individual users of mobile computing devices who synchronize their data from handheld computers (Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs) using cradles hardwired to PCs or using infrared devices. In between are a variety of network configurations using a variety of devices, including wireless PC's, laptops, notebooks, electronic tablets, and hand-size computers.

Industry experts typically distinguish between two markets based on technology: wireless wide area networks (W-WANS) and wireless local area networks (W-LANs). Because wireless wide area networks - usually operated by licensed telecommunications carriers - transmit data at rates much slower than local area networks, W-LANs are best suited to the most data transmission needs in healthcare.

However, one market niche in particular seems particularly well suited to WAN technology, electronic prescription writing by private physicians using PDAs. Medication errors - both in and out of hospitals - kill more than 7000 people in the U.S. annually. Adverse medication errors alone cost the healthcare system $2 billion each year. Prescription writing and confirmation with pharmacies can occupy considerable portions of a physician's day.

Incorrect medication, improper dosing, dangerous interactions, inability to read hand and other medication errors could be minimized using wireless devices. Indeed, in January 2001, General Motors announced that it would pay to distribute wireless PDAs to 5000 physicians who treat GM employees and families, specifically for use in searching electronic medical records and for writing prescriptions. Other health insurers have launched similar programs.

Notably, in the Zesearch study, 80% of physician practices with wireless systems had wireless PDAs, while only approximately 25% of IDNs and hospitals with wireless systems used PDAs. The report also shows that going forward PDAs are expected to be the preferred platform for all healthcare provider segments but to different degrees.

For more information: www.zeresearch.com