Enabling Wireless Infrastructure Across 600,000 Square Feet of Healthcare Facilities

Client & Industry

Healthcare System

Challenge

The client, a large medical center, faced a critical challenge during their transition off a legacy network: building a fully independent wireless infrastructure across their main hospital and 13 ambulatory clinics. This needed to be accomplished quickly—under the pressure of a fast-approaching Transition Services Agreement (TSA) expiration—and with limited internal IT resources.

The legacy network was unreliable, leading to frequent signal drops—particularly for clinicians using EKG carts or tablets. Additionally, the hospital’s previous wireless setup included 16 separate SSIDs, adding complexity and confusion for staff and IT alike.

Solutions

Thrivence led a comprehensive wireless infrastructure remediation project that included:

• Predictive survey & wireless network design
• Project management across internal and vendor teams
• Infrastructure planning and installation support
• Network configuration and transition planning
• Back-end exclusions and overlap handling to enable a live cutover

Due to limited client-side resources, Thrivence implemented daily project checkpoints and coordinated closely with on-site teams to maintain momentum. Thrivence engineers also took a creative approach to deploy the new wireless network while the old system was still live—something rarely done due to potential interference. The team executed real-time device exclusions, routing traffic to the new network without service disruption.

Results

• 443 access points configured and wired
• 600,000+ sq. ft. of wireless coverage enabled
• Reduction of SSIDs from 16 to 5 for a cleaner, more manageable system
• Improved coverage and connectivity throughout the hospital and clinics
• Positive impact on care delivery, especially for mobile clinical teams

The new network is significantly stronger and more stable, addressing previous connectivity concerns in elevators and remote areas of the hospital. This enhanced reliability has already improved the day-to-day experience of staff and ultimately supports better patient care.