Case Study: Ochsner Health System achieves expanded reach and virtual specialty care with Webex by Cisco

Cisco Technology Helps Ochsner Expand Reach and Impact of Nationally-Ranked, Speciality Expertise

Ochsner Health System, Louisiana’s largest non-profit academic healthcare network with 28 hospitals, 60+ health centers and more than 17,000 staff, set out to restore and modernize regional care after Hurricane Katrina while managing rapid growth and many acquired legacy systems. The IT challenge was to integrate and standardize a highly distributed environment, secure sensitive patient and payment data, support compliance (HIPAA/PCI), and enable new services like BYOD and telemedicine without creating network sprawl.

Ochsner deployed a Cisco-based infrastructure—TrustSec, Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Security Group Tagging (SGT) for secure segmentation, plus VoIP/Unified Communications, a virtualized 24/7 contact center, wireless/video telemedicine and consolidated routing/switching—to simplify compliance, limit breach impact and centrally manage policies. The result: secure, scalable connectivity that lowered costs, improved clinical collaboration and access to EMRs across sites, enabled same-day appointments and specialty telecare for rural patients, and positioned Ochsner to expand its reach nationally and globally.

Ochsner Health System

Roy Sookhoo

CTO