As healthcare providers face fast-changing technology, government and patient care demands, many are finding that their legacy telecommunications networks are preventing them from staying ahead of the curve. Optimum Lightpath (Jericho, N.Y.), a provider of Ethernet-based communication solutions for New York metropolitan area businesses, announced its work with Horizon Health Center to overhaul its network and transform how it delivers care to its more than 19,000 patients. As a result, the Jersey City-based healthcare leader has experienced big cost savings, significant network performance boosts and greatly improved operational efficiencies, while setting the stage for ongoing enhancements.

Horizon Health Center operates three facilities throughout Hudson County offering a broad range of services and programs. Its patient visits had grown to 72,000 annually, supported by more than 150 employees and 20 physicians. As demand for its services increased, Horizon Health Center felt that its legacy, copper-based network from Verizon wasn't providing the support that was required for physicians and staff to work smoothly and efficiently as they aimed to provide excellent patient care.

Horizon Health Center consolidated all of its voice and data services with Optimum Lightpath, boosting its bandwidth from 5 mbps to 100 mbps—a 20-fold increase. The upgrade to the faster, more reliable, 100 percent fiber network and Optimum Lightpath's Hosted Voice resulted in cost savings and full cost predictability due to simple, flat rate pricing. Following the upgrade, Horizon Health Center could access and move data in real-time, easily communicate across its three facilities, simply manage changes to its voice system via a Web-based control panel, and more quickly share information with Health Information Exchange sites.