People trust medical professionals with their health and their lives. To offer the best care possible, hospitals must be safe and secure.
On top of guaranteeing patient health and safety, hospital administrators must also consider business operations and legal regulations. As such, they need the best in security cameras to keep operations running smoothly. Not only can a security system help ensure patient care and safety, but it can also protect the hospital legally.
Metropolitan Communications is here to show you how end-to-end surveillance solutions from Avigilon can streamline your security protocols, from video recording and encryption to data organization and storage.
We’re proud to serve the Greater Philadelphia area, which includes healthcare facilities in Bucks County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, and Chester County, PA. Our expertise also extends over state lines to New Castle County, DE; Gloucester, NJ; and Camden County, NJ.
Streamlined Security Solutions
How Avigilon Technology Can Help You
Metropolitan Communications works with Avigilon to offer easy-to-install, user-friendly, and scalable end-to-end security solutions. An Avigilon security solution can make it faster and easier than ever to:
- Keep patients well cared for
- Prevent unauthorized patient departures
- Collect evidence in the case of a liability investigation
- Ensure accountability for medical staff
Hospital administrators and medical professionals have enough to focus on. Security solutions from Avigilon can help these teams spend less time monitoring potential security risks, leaving more time for providing the best healthcare possible.
Components of a Streamlined Solution
An end-to-end solution is just what it sounds like—a system that provides everything you need from beginning to end. Every situation is unique, and different packages will work better for some than others. Streamlined solutions from Avigilon consist of:
- High-definition cameras and sensors
- Intelligent software
- Secure data storage
Security Cameras for Your Needs
Metropolitan Communications installs several kinds of Avigilon cameras, which offer high-definition video, optional audio that can be engaged as needed, and other advanced capabilities. Plus, most come partnered with Avigilon software, so security personnel can utilize footage more effectively. Some of the best cameras for hospitals include:
- H4 Cameras: The H4 Thermal Camera can detect body heat in complete darkness and low-visibility situations, like through smoke. The H4 Thermal Elevated Temperature Detection takes this technology a step further and provides contactless pre-screening to detect elevated skin temperatures. Monitoring for fevers from a distance helps keep hospital staff and patients safe and can be useful in assessing changes in a patient’s health status.
- H5A Camera Line: This line of sleek and low-profile cameras comes with Avigilon Appearance Search™ capabilities, which makes it possible to search footage for a specific person. As an added bonus, these cameras are easy to clean and difficult to dismantle.
- FIPS Series Avigilon Network Video Recorders: Privacy is a priority in hospitals. This line of video recorders provides secure data-in-flight cryptography that meets FIPS 140-2 requirements.
Another security device that can benefit hospitals is the Avigilon Presence Detector. It is not a camera, but it detects people’s presence using radar. Its equipped self-learning analytics means it can scan, “learn,” and adapt to monitor usual and unusual activity. This is helpful for hospitals because it can help security staff monitor areas with an added layer of privacy for patients.
Behind the Camera: Avigilon Control Center™ Software
A security camera can capture images more sharply than ever before, but without a way to assess footage, security teams can still have trouble analyzing critical events quickly. Thanks to Avigilon Control Center™ (ACC) software, security cameras can now help assess what’s on the screen. Then, the software can send alerts when it registers anything noteworthy.
ACC software offers an expansive suite of capabilities, such as facial recognition, image search license plate detection, unusual activity monitors, and more.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, where providing care and staying safe are more important than ever, ACC can monitor and alert you in real time—no need to wait for a human to notice or have someone scroll through hours of video footage to take decisive action.
Security During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ACC enhances the effectiveness of high-definition cameras with intelligent monitoring systems that can send notifications as necessary. This software helps ensure COVID-19-compliant practices to keep healthcare centers as safe as possible. These detection technologies include:
- Occupancy Counting Technology
- Social Distancing Technology
- No Face Mask Detection Technology
- Contact Tracing with Access Control
With these smart systems in place, hospitals can better protect their staff and patients. Then, when it comes time to decipher a sequence of events (like in the case of contact tracing), Avigilon Control Center™ software makes it possible for operators to lace different camera views together. This provides a more complete understanding of events in the hospital.
Remote and Centralized Care for Immuno-Compromised Patients
The Mobile Patient Alert & Communications Terminal makes it possible for medical professionals to check in and verify a patient’s condition from the safety of a central location. This reduces the chance of pathogen exposure while continuing to provide the best treatment and care for patients.
Not only is this useful for COVID-19 patients, but remote monitoring helps protect patients with severely compromised immune systems, like those who have suffered extreme burns.
Protecting Patients’ Privacy: FIPS Regulations
Ensuring privacy helps ease a patient’s mind and keeps a hospital compliant with legal regulations surrounding how information is shared and stored. The FIPS Series Avigilon Network Video Recorders offer pre-hardened encryption to make sure your data meets federal statutes.
FIPS stands for Federal Information Processing Standards, which come from the National Institute of Standards and Technology office of the United States Department of Commerce. They set standards for cryptographic-based security systems.
FIPS compliance is mandatory in all federal healthcare facilities, but it is also valuable in public and private hospitals because of the high level of security and dependability it ensures.
Integrating Technology
In addition to streamlined video capture, encryption, and organization, Avigilon also partners with Motorola Solutions to incorporate communications technology into security systems.
ACC software includes system alerts, and by syncing with MOTOTRBO and APX P25 two-way radios, it is possible to receive urgent text-to-voice alerts via radio. With this integration, security personnel can acknowledge alerts on the go.
This integrated technology solution equips your security team to:
- Monitor live video on a continuous basis, even with limited resources or time
- Be aware of all potential and occurring security incidents
- Mobilize security resources in a timely manner when a potential security incident is detected
With the capabilities that come with ACC, such as facial recognition and license plate detection, security personnel can be informed of potential issues as soon as possible. As with most situations in a hospital, taking security action as quickly as possible is a must.
Case Study
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Connecticut faced problems that are common in many hospitals, like liability concerns and patient elopement. Unfortunately, their outdated security system made it difficult to investigate claims and track persons of interest.
Avigilon improved their system with a streamlined approach, installing over 100 cameras. Many were from the H4 line of cameras, which provide exceptional image quality. Then, with Avigilon Appearance Search™ technology to assess camera footage, security staff could easily locate persons of interest.
In places where video cameras were not an option, like restrooms, the hospital relied on the Avigilon Presence Detector. Its smart-sensing technology made it possible to keep track of people’s locations without affecting their privacy.
With high-definition cameras, presence detectors, smart software, and an encrypted storage solution, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is now able to address investigations and improve safety. Now, they can spend more time on providing the best healthcare possible.
Contact Metropolitan Communications Today!
In a field where mistakes are costly, the extra assurance from video surveillance solutions provides immense peace of mind. That’s why we at Metropolitan Communications are proud to partner with Avigilon to keep hospitals safe.
Healthcare facilities in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas, like Bucks County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, and Chester County, Pennsylvania; New Castle County, Delaware; and Gloucester and Camden County, New Jersey, can all benefit from state-of-the-art security solutions. Reach out today to see how we can help you and your hospital.
