Palmetto Health Goes Mobile with Unitech PA950

Palmetto Health is South Carolina's largest and most comprehensive not-for-profit health resource. Composed of three outstanding hospitals—Palmetto Health Richland, and Palmetto Health Baptist in Columbia and Easley, the 1,247-bed system is a JCAHO-accredited institution, and has more than 7,500 employees and 1,100 physicians.

Each year, the three hospitals treat nearly a half million patients, welcome more than 6,600 babies into the world, treat more than 82,000 pediatric patients and 3,000 cancer patients, accommodate more than 131,000 emergency department visits, perform more than 50,000 mammograms, and make more than 43,000 home care visits.

In the ever progressive healthcare environment, the latest technology and treatment protocols go hand-in-hand with quality patient care. And Palmetto Health's dedication to providing the best healthcare possible inspired the implementation of a new asset management system.

Datastream Systems'desktop software provided the foundation for the Palmetto asset tracking and management system. After success with this program, an initiative was introduced to expand the application to include wireless connectivity through the use of handheld devices.

After testing numerous handheld terminals from various manufacturers, Palmetto Health selected the Unitech PA950 PocketPC Portable Terminal. The versatility and durability of the PA950 satisfied all of Palmetto Health's performance standards, and Unitech competitive pricing provided the total solution within budget.

Unitech's involvement in the project did not end with the delivery of the portable terminals. Unitech coordinated the integration of the Datastream software with the PA950, and provided additional support through the implementation and launch phases of the project. According to Thomas Heideman, Manager of Clinical Engineering at Palmetto Health, "Unitech's involvement was instrumental in getting this project off the ground. They deserve a lot of credit."