Horizon Health Center Breathes New Life into Aging Telecommunications Network with Optimum Lightpath

JERICHO, N.Y., March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 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®, a market leader in Ethernet-based communication solutions for New York metropolitan area businesses, today 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.

"Our network was extremely slow, dropping calls, had difficulty remaining stable and was becoming very complex to manage," said Arlene Simon, chief information officer of Horizon Health Center. "It was not an option to let our spotty telecommunication services continue to negatively impact our ability to serve patients. A change had to be made."

Healing An Ailing Network

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% 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.

"When you dream like we dreamed, it's hard to imagine that the kind of network improvements we achieved were even possible," said Simon. "And the difference isn't just about drastically improved reliability, customer service and cost savings. Optimum Lightpath is empowering us with functionality and control, so today we feel like we can do anything. That feeling of network freedom lets us think big as we work tirelessly to deliver an ever-better patient experience."

As Horizon Health Center looks to the future, it is ready to leverage the scalability of its network to deploy new online video consultation functionality, improve access capability for other healthcare partner organizations, increase ability to share patient lab results, images and information, and use its website in new ways to deliver convenient care for patients.

Transforming Healthcare

Today, Optimum Lightpath works with 70% of the hospitals and hospital systems based in its New York metro area footprint. The company's flexible, scalable 100% fiber-based network helps healthcare organizations meet evolving demands and thrive as they serve patients with critical services and care.

"Today, no matter what the needs, challenges or ambitions of our healthcare customers, Optimum Lightpath delivers the support, service and pricing required to excel," said Julia McGrath, senior vice president of marketing and business development, Optimum Lightpath. "Horizon Health Center has undergone a major transformation on the heels of smart technology and our work together is far from over. We eagerly look to the future as we enter the next phase of our partnership and discover the new opportunities that are possible when a telecommunications network provides limitless opportunity for innovation."

Optimum Lightpath has selected Horizon Health Center as its Customer Spotlight of the Month for March 2011.

About Optimum Lightpath

Optimum Lightpath, a division of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC), is an industry leader in providing advanced Ethernet-based data, Internet, voice, video transport solutions and managed services to businesses across the New York metropolitan area. Optimum Lightpath's Network is a highly reliable, resilient, and scalable fiber-to-the-business-premises network extending more than 4,000 route miles connecting more than 4,000 fiber-lit locations. Exclusively focused on meeting customer needs in the world's largest business market for 20 years, Optimum Lightpath has been continually recognized for its high level of customer service. For 12 straight years, the New York State Public Service Commission has given Optimum Lightpath its Commendation of Excellence. Optimum Lightpath has received many industry awards for innovation and leadership. For more information, visit www.optimumlightpath.com.

SOURCE Optimum Lightpath