OSU medical center uses automation for digital transformation

Network security's role in healthcare

Security and resiliency, two widely discussed topics discussed at ONUG, are also top-of-mind for Wexner Medical Center, Atekoja said. The organization implemented a zero-trust framework for a comprehensive security approach. According to Atekoja, a successful security approach can reduce the number of threats that occur and improve network uptime, and in turn reduce mortality rates for the medical center.

Part of that approach, he said, includes the capability to secure patients' application intakes from the beginning. This minimizes the risk of network outages that could interfere with symptom detection. The ability to detect an outage is critical toward the goal of saving lives, he said.

ONUG Fall 2022 conference recap

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Healthcare IoT-enabled devices

The pandemic gave rise to a new, proactive healthcare paradigm focused on digital care, which is further supported by the use of process automation tools, according to Atekoja. Prior to the pandemic, patients received treatment at a hospital after noticing symptoms, in what Atekoja called a reactive and disconnected approach.

Now, however, process automation tools can combine the patient, provider and employee experience into one connected approach. One use case in particular, which Atekoja called people-driven technology, gives patients their medical results instantaneously through a tool like MyChart.

"Now, the power is shifting back to the patient -- meaning, who owns the data," he said. "That's always been a big question in healthcare. That comes [from] the connected experience."

Atekoja said providers can also equip healthcare workers with all-in-one healthcare IoT-enabled devices that support multiple use cases. One device can include many functionalities, such as making phone calls, aiding lab administration and measuring vitals.

Network automation deployment strategy

These use cases show the potential of network automation within a digital transformation strategy. Wexner Medical Center has yet to fully roll out its network automation strategy but is using a three-phase journey. Atekoja said those three phases are the following:

• Phase 1: Understand the network environment. Network professionals must understand the different configurations in the network environment to deduce which tasks to automate and understand network behavior.
• Phase 2: Expand automation. When network professionals understand the environment and recognize which configurations to automate, teams can push out automation controls to devices.
• Phase 3: Large-scale automation deployment. Network process automation tools, like the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) product from Gluware, helps network professionals deploy process automation at large.

Wexner Medical Center has currently deployed more than 100 RPAs, Atekoja said, and is working toward an end-to-end network automation strategy.

During the process of deploying automation into the network, Atekoja said organizations should recognize that different applications and tools provide different value. When network professionals use an automation tool that focuses on only one aspect of the network, they're likely to analyze one specific area rather than looking at the whole scope. Atekoja said analyzing the automated networking platform from end to end helps teams accurately monitor network performance.