04 Nov API Software installs security-card system at Rhinelander hospital
Rhinelander, Wis. — Saint Mary’s Hospital has opened its doors, and employees will use ID badges instead of keys to get through many of them to secured areas.
Ministry Health Care opened the facility in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, secured using scannable badges provided by API Software, Inc.. API, based in Hartford, makes scheduling, payroll, security and other software for health-care organizations.
Planners for Saint Mary’s Hospital wanted to avoid keys, which are a security risk when lost. Employees who lose badges can be issued new ones, and the misplaced badges can be deactivated. Overall, Ministry Health Care employs about 12,000 people in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The hospital uses 45 readers on doors and elevators. Some automatically lock at 5 p.m. without manual intervention. The hospital’s director of information systems said the door management program was integrated into existing systems for human resources.
In addition to locking areas down, API’s software allows the hospital to log and monitor the use of badges across the 240,000-square-foot campus. Logs of access and attempted access are available for internal audits or for compliance with security reporting regulations.