Emory Healthcare Begins Wireless Email Project

ATLANTA - Emory Healthcare is going wireless, beginning with a pilot email program. The health system plans to enroll 100 doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to receive their email on their cell phones or personal digital assistants (PDA’s).

As a later phase of the project, Emory plans to widen the service to include not only email but also office schedules for faculty physicians and staff in The Emory Clinic, says Dedra Cantrell, RN, the chief information officer for Emory Healthcare.

"This initiative really relates to being mobile," says Ms. Cantrell. "We are developing the ability to provide information in a secure manner to any web-enabled phone or PDA. Our intent is to provide a platform that will offer our physicians and staff the ability to access their information by whatever wireless device they prefer, be it a cell phone, PDA device, Blackberry or other device."

Security of data is a primary consideration in the new system, given the confidentiality of health records and the stringent new regulations in the Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The system is being provided under contract to Emory Healthcare by Air2Web, an Atlanta wireless company. Its security will be ensured by 128-bit encryption, 2-factor authentication, data masking, and secure server-to-server communication.

"This new system can be very useful for urgent messages, or just a quick look at your schedule for the day," says Ms. Cantrell.

About Emory Healthcare

Emory Healthcare is the clinical arm of Emory University's Woodruff Health Sciences Center. As the largest and most comprehensive health care system in Georgia, Emory Healthcare includes The Emory Clinic, Emory Children's Center, Emory University Hospital, Emory Crawford Long Hospital, Wesley Woods Center of Emory University, the jointly owned Emory-Adventist Hospital, and EHCA, LLC, a limited liability company created in collaboration with HCA-The Healthcare Company.