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Optimum Lightpath to Perform Metro Ethernet Network Transplant for North Shore-LIJ Health System

Posted on: Monday, 13 March 2006, 09:00 CST

Optimum Lightpath(R), a business telecommunications services division of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC), today announced it has been selected to engineer, build, install and maintain a new Metro Ethernet wide-area network (WAN) for the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System. One of the nation's largest non-profit healthcare systems and the largest healthcare system in New York State, North Shore-LIJ will use this extremely reliable high-speed communications network to facilitate the efficient sharing of information between its hospitals and community-based physicians.

When completed, the new WAN will replace North Shore-LIJ's existing ATM network with a Virtual Private IP Backbone Network that will incorporate Layer 1 and Layer 2 functionality into both the campus and remote locations system-wide. This unique network design will empower North Shore-LIJ with a migration path capable of supporting existing, as well as emerging, bandwidth-intensive IP applications throughout the geographic scope of the healthcare system.

"We were looking for an advanced network infrastructure that could grow to support all of our data, Internet, voice and video needs for the foreseeable future. We found that Optimum Lightpath's Metro Ethernet service provided a solution that satisfied the key performance criteria we were looking for in terms of resiliency, scalability and availability," said John L. Bosco, vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) of North Shore-LIJ. "The network upgrade is meant to power all the new applications that we're rolling out to enhance our patients' quality of care."

North Shore-LIJ is in the process of deploying a new diagnostic imaging system for its radiology and cardiology departments. The sharing and transfer of images, which typically accounts for sixty to eighty percent of network bandwidth, is a big driver for the upgrade. The healthcare system is also in the process of installing a new clinical information system to maintain patients' medical records electronically. This solution will be utilized in all of the system's facilities to enable physicians to interact with each other and to securely share data about patients and their treatment. The network will also support the use of wireless devices for data transfer and voice communications, as well as the hospital's telemedicine program.

"Optimum Lightpath's dedication and responsiveness to existing customers - at all levels of the organization - demonstrate that it is committed to developing partnerships for long-term success," said Richard P. McGrail, vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of North Shore-LIJ. "This project continues Optimum Lightpath's involvement in meeting our telecommunications needs and transforming how our doctors and administrators share information."

Overview of the Network Architecture

At its core, the North Shore-LIJ network is capable of 10 Gbps Metro Ethernet connections to link Long Island Jewish Medical Center (New Hyde Park, NY), North Shore University Hospital (Manhasset, NY), the new North Shore-LIJ Center for Advanced Medicine (Lake Success, NY) and the hospital system's remote data center. Other sites within the hospital system - including physicians' offices and multiple community hospitals spread throughout Long Island - will then be connected to each of the core data centers using Metro Ethernet circuits running at a minimum of 50 Mbps. This redundant network design provides an inherent ability to send traffic from any remote site to an alternate data center, enabling functional protection against a potential failure in either network transport or the remote site's serving data center. The rapid deployment of the network is scheduled to be completed during the second quarter of 2006.

"Healthcare providers nationwide are seeking to improve the level of care they provide and to comply with new regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA, but are finding that their existing networks cannot effectively support the deployment of these new technologies and applications," said Dave Pistacchio, Optimum Lightpath's executive vice president and general manager. "North Shore-LIJ is addressing its additional bandwidth demands by working closely with Optimum Lightpath to design and architect an innovative Metro Ethernet network that will scale to support all of its current and future bandwidth needs, while also being resilient enough to address its business continuity requirements."

Businesses interested in learning more about Optimum Lightpath can visit http://www.optimumlightpath.com/ or call 1-877-LIGHTPATH.

About the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System

The nation's third largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System provides care for people at all stages of illness throughout Long Island, Queens and Staten Island - a service area encompassing more than five million people. The health system includes 15 hospitals; four long-term care facilities, a medical research institute, four trauma centers, five home health agencies and dozens of outpatient centers. North Shore-LIJ facilities house more than 6,000 beds, and are staffed by over 7,000 physicians, 10,000 nurses and a total workforce of about 38,000 -- the largest employer on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City.

About Optimum Lightpath

Optimum Lightpath, a business telecommunications services division of Cablevision Systems Corporation, uses the power of its own reliable and resilient fully fiber optic network to deliver converged, IP-based data, Internet, and voice solutions to businesses throughout the New York metropolitan area. Over the past 17 years, Optimum Lightpath built an advanced Fiber-to-the-business-Premises network that has over 2400 route miles of fiber optic cables throughout the tri-state area. As a result of owning and maintaining this state-of-the-art network, Optimum Lightpath can optimize the enterprise customer's quality of experience, while delivering reliable, high bandwidth business communications services at lower prices. Optimum Lightpath now provides its customers with scalable, high-capacity IP-based Metro Ethernet services (E-LAN and E-Line) to support high bandwidth data, Internet and voice applications, while also delivering highly personalized customer service superior to the competition.

About Cablevision

Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications companies. Its cable television operations serve 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area. The company's advanced telecommunications offerings include its iO: Interactive Optimum digital television, Optimum Online high-speed Internet, Optimum Voice digital voice-over-cable, and its Optimum Lightpath integrated business communications services. Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings LLC operates several successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, WE and other national and regional networks. In addition to its telecommunications and programming businesses, Cablevision owns Madison Square Garden and its sports teams, the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. The company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, and owns and operates Clearview Cinemas.

Source: Business Wire

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