SMART Cards Deliver Caregiver Mobility with Security

As a healthcare technology integrator, ICE has increasingly focused on the Sun RayTM product line, a technology that has far-reaching applications for mobile healthcare providers. By implementing the Sun Microsystems' technology, ICE can provide the SMART Card and thin client system to healthcare organizations as part of its Point of Care Technology Implementation services.

The SMART Card and thin client technology represent an affordable, secure, and simple solution for any healthcare organization that wants PC functionality without the PC complexity and vulnerability. And unlike other technologies, the SMART Cards can be as mobile as the people who use them at the point-of-care. The solution consists of a SMART Card, Sun RayTM thin client, and server.

As small as a credit card, SMART Cards are embedded with a computer chip. In fact, the cards can double as employee ID badges. SMART Cards provide:

SMART Cards are very secure because logging onto the system requires both the card and a memorized password. And although each SMART Card is individualized to each staff member, the hospital network administrator maintains control over the system's security.

"Simplicity" is the concept of the thin client. The hardware components that make up the thin client are just a monitor, keyboard, mouse, graphics card, integrated SMART card reader, and network interface card.

The thin client design is perfect for tight hospital or patient room spaces. They can be mounted in the hall or from patient room walls and ceilings. Adjustable mounting systems enable clinicians to store keyboards and monitors out of the way when they are not in use.

Best of all, thin clients require no local processing - everything is done on the server, including backup. That means no system crashes, no costly software or application upgrading, no system maintenance and repair, no virus and worm vulnerability, and no lost data in the event of power or hardware failure.

The server provides user authentication and encryption between server and thin client as well as user session management. All the software components are centrally managed, maintained, and updated on the server by the network administrator, which not only enhances security but also helps reduce the complexity and administration of the hospital IT environment.

Operation is simple as users can access their sessions from any thin client. Clinicians insert their card into a thin client in the first room they visit, logging onto the network - a procedure that takes just a few seconds. Immediately they gain access to only those applications, patient records, and Web content to which they have been granted privileges.

Complying with HIPAA security and privacy requirements, when clinicians leave patient rooms, they remove their SMART Card and the screen immediately goes black as if they logged off the system. In the next room, they insert their SMART Card in the thin client and are instantaneously reconnected at exactly the spot where they last disconnected.

Because they don't have a hard drive or an operating system, thin clients require less maintenance than a PC and will last far longer. This results in a significantly lower Total Cost of Ownership. And, when you combine low TCO with fewer units required and reduced desktop administration overhead, the cost savings can be dramatic.