PatienTree Welcomes BAYFRONT MEDICAL CENTER to “The Power to Care from Anywhere!” Family.

PatienTree, Inc., a Tampa, FL “Point of Care” Secured Communications and Bedside Data & Entertainment Station provider, announced today that the PatienTree “Trunk” powered by Netilla™, has been adopted by the BAYFRONT MEDICAL CENTER for Secured Remote Access to Hospital Information Systems by Staff and Physicians.

TAMPA, Fla. – October 1, 2004 – PatienTree welcomes another premier healthcare provider to the PatienTree family.  Bayfront Health System, located in Saint Petersburg, FL, has implemented the Netilla Virtual Office for secured remote access to hospital data systems. The “PatienTree Trunk”, the delivery appliance which supports the Point of Care Bedside terminal network offered by PatienTree, will now provide staff and physicians secured access to hospital data systems via a standard web browser. 

“We are proud to have been selected as a technology partner with Bayfront Medical Center for the implementation of a security and remote access solution.”  “The Information Technology and Data Security staffs at Bayfront Medical Center, like many hospitals in a world of HIPAA compliance, are some of the best IT professionals in the business.   After a considerable amount of time and due diligence on the part of the Bayfront Medical data security team, we are extremely proud to have been selected” said Bob Letzeisen, President of PatienTree.

He further stated, “Secured remote access is mission critical in a world of computer hackers, data terrorists, and homeland security.  But in healthcare, the concerns go beyond those of the public and private sectors.  Patient data privacy is not just a good idea; it is mandatory and regulated through HIPAA. The PatienTree Trunk, powered by Netilla™, is cost effective, easy to install, quick to move to productive use, and, as importantly, easy and cost effective to maintain.  We do not require special software to be loaded to the remote client for application access like traditional VPN’s.  By offering application support for UNIX, LINUX, Microsoft, Web Services and even IBM from one security browser based appliance we are literally operating systems agnostic to the bedside or anywhere in the enterprise.”

John Lanier, Manager of IT Security for Bayfront Health System stated “We are excited about having a remote access solution that provides HIPAA security and ease of use at the same time. Netilla will allow us to provide remote access to our clinical and office applications via any web browser. This is a great asset for our physician community and team members who require remote access to clinical systems. The simplicity of Netilla allows us to provide this service with a minimal amount of support from our technology support staff.”

John McLendon, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Bayfront Health System, added the following, “We are excited to offer our physicians and clinicians such a flexible and secure way of accessing information when and where they need it.  Depending on the patient, the electronic medical record (EMR) gets routinely updated from a variety of sources, systems, and caregivers located throughout our facility.  With this technology in place, physicians will have 24x7 access to the most up-to-the-minute patient information and be able to view the entire EMR, easily and securely, from practically anywhere.  We believe this tool will greatly enhance patient, physician, and team member satisfaction by creating greater efficiencies in care delivery.”

About PatienTree, Inc.  and Netilla Networks
PatienTree, Inc., headquartered in Tampa, FL, Founded in 2002, is an innovative solutions company in the delivery of Point of Care software and hardware technologies. PatienTree offers a portfolio of products and services for both patient and care giving staff. www.patientree.com. Netilla Networks, Inc. is a leading global provider of enterprise-class secure remote access solutions.  The Netilla family of SSL VPN appliances gives organizations the power to make their mission-critical applications and resources instantly available to employees and trusted partners anywhere via standard Web browsers, while safeguarding internal networks. www.netilla.com

About Bayfront Medical Center

Bayfront Medical Center has been a valuable community resource for nearly 100 years. Today, the hospital is at the forefront of healthcare and a civic leader in the thriving city of St. Petersburg, Florida.   The hospital is a private, not-for-profit community hospital and academic teaching center. The hospital’s medical staff of more than 500 board-certified physicians offers a level of care unsurpassed in the region.   In addition, Bayfront’s physician residency programs in family practice and obstetrics/gynecology, and fellowship program in sports medicine, are highly sought after nationwide. www.bayfront.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Bob Letzeisen, PatienTree Inc., 866-824-9364