Network Design in Your Office

Whether or not you use an Electronic Medical Records system, you probably have computerized scheduling and billing. If you have more than one computer at your practice, then you most likely employ some type of network. The complexities, capabilities and network designs are essential when multi-user, multi-task EMR systems are implemented at a practice. Below you will find some of the most critical network design choices to consider.

WAN, LAN, or MAN : Networking Basics

System software and network hardware may not be compatible with some EPM and EMR systems. This has to be known before you buy a system. If you expect to be adding users, it's usually more affordable to purchase multi-user licenses than add retail software packages individually. A LAN (Local Area Network) can hook up computers and printers within an office. The LAN can link up with other LANs using wireless connectivity. It is unfortunate that some EPM and EMR systems can be incompatible with network and system operating software. Compatibility needs to be completely assured before you decide to go ahead with buying an EMR package.

A WAN, or wide area network, can connect small LANs or MANs (Metro Area Networks). It is possible to do this over a wider area, as in a group of remote practices. Large companies often use these WANs; the most well-known WAN is the Internet. The Net can facilitate access to an intranet where staff can communicate with each other no matter where they are located. For an EPM or ERM system that works between remote offices, a high-bandwidth connection is required to keep things running smoothly together.

Topology and Bandwidth

Network bandwidth, or data capacity, is usually measured in bps, or bits-per-second. Usually, connection speeds range from 56kbps per second to millions of bits a second. Still, the speeds achieved can be limited by the hardware used, and at times even the software. Overall network speeds can be significantly reduced when a number of users try to access information from the system at the same time. If the network speed is slow because of underpowered hardware or bad planning, fast connection speeds don't mean much.

The topology of the network is also quite important. Topology is the shape of the network, as in a series of computers which keep the amount of wiring between them to a minimum. If a single part of the network goes out, the whole network could collapse. Optimal topography means more wires, but this can help build resilience from overall system failure from a single weak spot. Still, the total amount of computers on this kind of network is limited. A large network 'mesh topology' offers redundancy and expandability.

Wiring

In most paperless office settings, an examination room includes machines wired to a server running EMR software. Some technically-savvy doctors prefer to enter information from a wireless device, as they are able to carry it between the different areas of a practice. This wireless network concept adds new points to address.

Security - A hacker can destroy your network if it isn't protected. Even simple wireless access points need to have built-in security.

Bandwidth - The access speed can be limited by the speed of your wireless connection even if your LAN has good bandwidth rates.

Signal - Wireless devices gather less-than-expected ranges when functioning in an office with many walls.

Clients : Fat or Thin? - Should you employ wireless laptops that use software directly on a fat wireless connection? Or, should you run the software virtually with a thin, remote connection? With wireless networks, disconnects are an unavoidable reality. In this case, the thin client lets the software continue to run, and you can later pick up where you left off. A broken connection on a fat client may cause a software crash.