Atlantic Health System enhances the patient experience with AI-driven networking

Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of quality healthcare, serving more than half of New Jersey, including 12 counties and 6.2 million people. It was named CHIME Digital Health Most Wired for 2022, its fourth year earning recognition for incorporating core and advanced technologies into its clinical and business programs to improve health and care in its community.  

The health system, which serves 6.2 million people, is migrating to AI-driven wired and wireless networking from Juniper for its hospitals, outpatient centers, and hundreds of other sites to improve the experience for visitors, patients, and clinicians. 

Overview


Company Atlantic Health System
Industry Healthcare
Products used Wireless Access PointsEX4400Wireless (Wi-Fi) AssuranceWired Assurance
Region Americas
Atlantic Health System Hero
Customer Success At-a-glance

Guest Wi-Fi

Simple, secure Wi-Fi for appointments or hospital stays

Improved

Clinician workflow with ultra-reliable Wi-Fi

Reduced

Escalation calls after cutover to new Wi-Fi in first location 

200

Sites, including 7 hospitals, migrating to Juniper AI-driven networking 

Challenge

Wi-Fi is at the heart of the digital patient experience

“Part of our healthcare value is the experience we can give to our patients and their loved ones, whether they are at a hospital or an outpatient facility,” says Meraz Nasir, director of infrastructure at Atlantic Health System.

A robust network is fundamental to providing care at its seven hospitals, including Morristown, Overlook, and Newton medical centers, 23 urgent care centers, a rehabilitation institute, as well as telehealth. Atlantic Health wanted a forward-looking solution that would streamline network operations and easily integrate with its health IT ecosystem. 

Atlantic Health System Challenge
Solution

AI-driven networking streamlines operations

“Atlantic Health System is on the forefront of new technologies,” says Nasir. “As a healthcare organization, we understand the importance of making informed decisions that positively impact our patients and team members. When selecting a provider for our wireless network upgrade, we conducted extensive research and found that Juniper with Mist AI stood out from the competition due to its unparalleled quality, technology leadership, and API maturity.”

He continues: “The ability to manage both wired and wireless networks through a cloud-native single pane of glass was a game-changer for us, providing increased efficiency and flexibility in managing our network infrastructure. This decision was made with a focus on providing the best possible experience for our patients and team members while ensuring that our network can support the increasing demands of modern healthcare.”

Juniper wireless access points and switches work in conjunction with the Juniper Mist cloud architecture driven by Mist AI™ to deliver optimized user experiences. Juniper Mist cloud services apply AI and machine learning to automate key tasks and proactively address networking issues before they impact the established quality-of-service levels. Network connectivity is more predictable, reliable, and measurable, and IT has clear visibility into user experiences in real time. AIOps and automation speed resolution when problems arise. 

Atlantic Health System Solution
OUTCOME

A leader in patient-centered care

Atlantic Health’s network modernization is underway, with three hospitals migrated to Juniper networking in early 2023, and four more hospitals, for a total of 200 sites, to be refreshed by the end of 2023.

“Wireless guest access that delivers a great experience for patients and visitors is a game-changer,” says Nasir.

Patients and their families have easy access to secure guest Wi-Fi when using their mobile devices while at Atlantic Health locations. They can stay connected with loved ones, check on work, or play a quick game while waiting for an appointment or during a longer stay.

Fast, reliable networking is fundamental to improving clinical outcomes, care coordination, and practice efficiencies. Nurses and clinicians can move around without calls dropping. Access to patient charts, medical images, and other clinical apps is fast, secure, and reliable. The Juniper infrastructure delivers consistently high, measurable throughput.

Having AI-driven operations and one management portal simplifies managing wired and wireless networks at hundreds of locations.

“With Marvis, Juniper’s conversational AI virtual network assistant, we can bring troubleshooting closer to the customer and resolve issues faster,” says Eric Marshott, network engineer at Atlantic Health System. “Our service partner also can handle more troubleshooting, rather than escalating difficult issues to the engineering team.” 

Doctor talking to woman in medical office
“This decision was made with a focus on providing the best possible experience for our patients and team members while ensuring that our network can support the increasing demands of modern healthcare.”
Meraz Nasir Director of Infrastructure, Atlantic Health System

Published April 2023