Optimum Lightpath Receives 2010 Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Vertical Market Penetration Leadership of the Year Award

JERICHO, N.Y., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimum Lightpath®, a market leader in Ethernet-based communication solutions for New York metropolitan area businesses, today announced that it has received the Vertical Market Penetration Leadership of the Year award from industry analyst firm Frost & Sullivan. The award is presented each year to the company that has best demonstrated excellence in capturing healthcare sector market share. Key success highlights that solidified Optimum Lightpath as this year's winner include its 70% hospital penetration within its footprint in the NY metro area and a partnership with GetWellNetwork to offer the breakthrough Interactive Patient Care application.

Hospitals continue to face challenges associated with technology regulations compliance, rising operational costs and a growing need to connect with Regional Health Information Organizations and Health Information Exchanges. At the same time, continued improvement of patient care quality and safety remain top concerns. Optimum Lightpath has excelled in meeting the evolving demands of the market by working closely with its customers to better understand their needs and how the company's 100% fiber network and flexible, Ethernet-based services can meet them.

"Today, Optimum Lightpath's customers include 70% of the hospitals based within our footprint in the New York metropolitan area. We've had ongoing success in the market because we've gone far beyond simply delivering voice and data services and have spent extensive time understanding how we can help our hospital customers transform their organizations," said Julia McGrath, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Optimum Lightpath. "We do this by forming true partnerships with our customers and continuously innovating to help them overcome current and future challenges and meet new opportunities. Our work with GetWellNetwork to develop the Interactive Patient Care application is a prime example of this commitment."

Launched in 2009, Interactive Patient Care is a unique, innovative application that empowers hospitals to improve entertainment, education, patient safety, clinical care outcomes, and bed turnover rates while creating new workflow efficiencies for hospital staff.  Hospitals that deploy Interactive Patient Care enable patients and families to learn more about their diagnosis, connect with friends using email and IM, and find out more about their caregivers. It also lets nurses deploy education programs specific to each patient and track its completion from their current Electronic Health Record system.

"Frost & Sullivan's recent research on the Retail Carrier Ethernet Services Market clearly depicts the growing market trend of migration from traditional circuits to Ethernet across multiple industry verticals. Service providers are increasingly focused on developing targeted solutions and marketing strategies to tap into the growing demand from specific verticals, such as financial services, healthcare, education, government and others.  Optimum Lightpath has clearly excelled in the healthcare vertical market and is hence the recipient of our 2010 Vertical Market Penetration Leadership Award in the Retail Carrier Ethernet Services Market," said, Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst, Roopa Shree.

"Optimum Lightpath is honored to be named this year's Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Vertical Market Penetration leader," said McGrath. "We look forward to continually expanding our capabilities to serve the sector with our market-leading products and services."

Frost & Sullivan services the research and intelligence needs of executives and technology managers at leading telecommunications companies worldwide, including Optimum Lightpath.

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 buildings. 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