Why should hospitals consider migrating from analog surveillance systems to network video solutions? Foremost is better protection of patients and staff. The newer technology not only delivers sharper images and clearer audio than legacy analog solutions, but onboard analytics also give network cameras the intelligence to quickly detect and categorize threats and trigger alerts in real-time to expedite resolution. Because they’re open-standards solutions they’re able to interact with other systems on the network – from access control and video/audio telephony to loudspeakers mobile devices and smartphones, even electronic medical records and patient monitoring systems – to create a more comprehensive solution.
What does this integration mean for hospitals? A greater return on your investment. Equipping your surveillance cameras with intelligent eyes and ears to monitor events helps you use them more proactively for myriad applications – from tighter security to better patient care and satisfaction to more efficient resource management and overall improvement of operations. Furthermore, the integration means the same video management system (VMS) you installed for security can also manage the video for clinical and patient-centric solutions and other applications. Simply partition the VMS for privacy.
The Importance of Security and IT Teamwork
But here’s the caveat. Video surveillance may be the province of the physical security department, but the network itself is the province of IT. It’s the IT department that assigns the IP address. And before the connection is allowed on the network, IT expects verification that the device won’t negatively impact other systems and IoT devices on the network. IT is also responsible for allocating bandwidth priority to specific systems as well as maintaining overall network performance and health.
That’s why it’s so important for security directors to collaborate with their IT departments to work out a strategic security plan that clarifies the needs and goals of both parties. For instance, while physical security thinks about image resolution and frame rates, IT thinks about bandwidth consumption and terabytes of storage. For physical security, camera connectivity and performance are paramount. If a camera goes offline, the lack of coverage could potentially compromise security for the entire facility. Fostering a close relationship with IT can ensure that fixing any security system problems will be given top priority.
From IT’s perspective, cybersecurity and HIPAA compliance are paramount. If a camera port gets hijacked, any information on the network could be compromised – including patient data and other sensitive information. So, IT needs assurances that the physical security team is going to rigorously enforce security protocols and procedures. That means instituting things like user authorization levels and complex password protection, automatic downloading of firmware and software updates and bug fixes. Often, it’s wise to write a memo of understanding between the two department directors to ensure physical security’s networked devices are protected from cyberattacks, malfunctions are quickly addressed, and the entire ecosystem is properly maintained with current updates. When both sides formally acknowledge from the onset what the other expects of them, they can avoid many of the miscommunication pitfalls that tend to sink a project before it even gets off the ground.
There are other advantages as well. Partnering with IT increases the odds of project success. IT has network mastery and hardware knowledge to take physical security strategies to the next level. From a budgeting standpoint, championing each other’s proposals for increasing technology investment would benefit both departments. The additional funding could be used to expand surveillance coverage and implement new network hardware to modernize the facility, which would broaden the reach of both departments.
Spreading the ROI Beyond Security
While you could justify investing in new network video strictly on the merits of outstanding security, the benefits of the technology can be far more reaching. Let’s look at a few examples.
Improving patient care -- Patient health can’t always be assessed by clinical data alone. Small changes in a patient’s color or increased restlessness can be a sign of escalating problems. Since it’s impossible for medical staff to be in every patient’s room simultaneously, some hospitals are integrating network cameras with electronic medical records systems and critical medical monitoring systems in each patient room to remotely track patient vitals, observe their physiology, and hear whether they’re in distress. This enables them to quickly recognize a health crisis and alert a rapid response team to intervene if necessary. Deploying network technology (video, audio and analytics) in this scenario often reduces the need for one-to-one patient watches and that means less staff overtime.
Medical facilities are using network cameras augmented with analytics to improve patient and staff safety. For instance, video analytics like crossline detection is being used to deter patients from getting out of bed without assistance and falling and keep dementia patients from wandering. The financial risk mitigation for this type of deployment can be significant. According to the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare (JCCTH), hospitals report that falls – without moderate or severe injuries – cost them more than $1.6 million dollars annually, an expense that’s not reimbursable through private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. If the fall results in serious injuries the cost could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of which might not be reimbursable, depending on the severity of the injury. With hospitals across the country averaging six patient falls a month, using network video solutions to deter falls can lead to substantial savings.
Curbing workplace violence -- Healthcare settings tend to be stressful environments. And stress can trigger disruptive, and sometimes even violent, behavior. Studies continue to show that hospital workers are more often the victims of verbal and physical assaults than any other profession. To reduce this problem, many hospitals are deploying network cameras in emergency rooms, lobbies and other volatile areas to detect warning signs and help them proactively respond before events get out of hand.
For instance, to mitigate risks from the spillover of gang activity into emergency rooms, some hospitals are augmenting their network cameras with audio analytics that can detect gunshots and verbal aggression and automatically trigger alerts for staff to respond quickly and defuse the situation. At the same time, the analytics can be programmed to direct network cameras to target the location and sent video clips to responders giving them a more complete picture (sight and sound) of events as they unfold.
Many healthcare institutions are using network cameras as a force multiplier to monitor patients in high-risk behavior rooms to ensure 24/7 coverage. This is proving to be a safer and more cost-effective use of human resources since, according to the Bureaus of Labor Statistics, the average cost for security officers to provide the same around-the-clock patient watch could be as high as $105,000 a year.1
Improving clinician competency -- Forensic evidence isn’t the only value network video provides. Many teaching hospitals are using technology to hone the skills of practitioners-in-training. For instance, some speech therapy and physical therapy departments are using network video as a critical assessment tool and a mechanism for faculty supervisors to remotely monitors and evaluate students during patient sessions. The ability to tag video by different criteria (e.g., time, date, specific medical issue, etc.) and quickly retrieve specific clips on demand makes it easy for instructors to track student and patient progress over time. Because the video is stored on the network, some medical practices opt to share therapy session recordings with patients and caregivers to help them practice exercises correctly once they’re home.
Improving premise safety -- We’re seeing network cameras integrated with radar solutions to monitor secluded areas and alert staff to unauthorized entry. They’re also being deployed inpatient healing gardens for wandering patient protection. Some hospitals integrate their network cameras with network speaker systems that broadcast warning messages when emergency egress doorways are being used or left propped open.
In hospital garages, video cameras are capturing license plates to control the entrance to staff-only areas. In parking lots network cameras integrated with network radar can catch fender benders, spot suspicious loitering, identify vehicles in non-parking spaces, and more. In emergency department drop-off areas, the cameras are capturing critical forensic information about drive-by drop-offs of injured patients. Other network cameras are being used to raise alerts when vehicles are blocking critical restricted areas like ambulance bays and fire lanes. There are even hospitals using network cameras embedded with retail analytics like queue management to help reduce admissions wait times, which reduces stress in the workplace and leads to increased patient satisfaction.
Network video can play a pivotal role not only in security, but also in inpatient care, business operations, risk management, and more. And the more ways a hospital uses the technology, the bigger the potential return on investment. By integrating network video, audio and radar technology hospitals and other medical facilities are transforming themselves into state-of-the-art healthcare institutions that will better serve their communities well into the future.
Look Towards a Safe and Healthy Future
Whether you’re thinking of replacing your legacy analog camera system or network-enabling them through video encoders to derive the benefits of network technology, it’s important that you build a strong relationship with IT to ensure that the give your physical security systems top priority and protect them from cyberattack. If your video technology will be shared with other internal departments, be sure to include them in the discussions with IT. These cross-function partnerships ensure that these systems are sufficiently protected, that a budget for upgrades and replacement is supported, and scalability and open platform integration become fundamental criteria for all future hospital expansion.
Overcoming the differences between physical security and IT systems may seem daunting at first, but the positive impact your efforts will have on healthcare security and patient health and safety over the long term far outweighs the challenges. By working in partnership with all stakeholders you’ll ensure that the network video decisions you make will continue to serve the community well into the next decade.
About the author: Paul Baratta is the Segment Development Manager, Healthcare at Axis Communications, Inc.
Resources: 1 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hospital security guards earn between $31K and $35K annually and typically work an eight-hour shift.
