AT&T Extends Mobility at Abington Memorial Hospital

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has announced that Abington Memorial Hospital (AMH), a 570-bed regional teaching hospital in southeastern Pennsylvania, is using a 3G-powered AT&T wireless solution that enhances the connectivity of the clinical management team and administrators beyond the hospital campus.

AT&T is providing approximately 130 Samsung BlackJack™ smart devices that operate on the AT&T BroadbandConnect network to AMH physicians, department heads and clinical managers. The hand-held devices provide remote information access to key personnel. Clinical managers can use the BlackJack to contact physicians with critical patient updates, and physicians can use the same device to call the hospital or patient to discuss the case.

“The new solutions provide efficient, portable access to voice and data over one hand-held device, enhancing remote communications capabilities,” said Alison Ferren, vice president, Information Technology, AMH. “By extending the reach of the entire management team, the hospital is better equipped to deliver excellent patient care.”

“Abington Memorial Hospital is known as a technology innovator,” said Tom Erdman, vice president, Corporate Markets Group, AT&T’s wireless unit. “Its deployment of wireless data is consistent with its use of cutting-edge medical solutions, such as voice-activated equipment, robotic surgical tools and digital implant devices, all of which are important parts of the hospital’s treatment programs. We look forward to continuing to work with Abington Memorial as it defines even more ways in which to use wireless for the benefit of its staff and patients.”

In addition to receiving hospital data via e-mail, the BlackJack allows physicians and administrators to sync with calendar functions and to access online research, such as pharmaceutical and medical journal sites, using the 3G BroadbandConnect wireless data network.

The integrated voice and data device uses a QWERTY keyboard, which makes typing e-mail messages and text messages faster. It uses the Microsoft Windows Mobile® 5.0 operating system to deliver mobile versions of familiar Microsoft desktop applications, such as Windows Media® Player 10 Mobile, Internet Explorer® Mobile and Outlook® Mobile. The smart device will be upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6 later this year. The BlackJack also includes an MP3 player and 1.3 megapixel digital camera for additional multimedia needs.

The Messaging and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile 5.0, included with the BlackJack, provides support for Microsoft Direct Push technology to keep e-mail, calendar, tasks and contacts up to date, as well as such security features as remote device wipe and rich-security encryption features.

AT&T customers who use the BlackJack can take the 3G BroadbandConnect experience with them in more than 166 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and seamlessly access AT&T’s nationwide,* high speed EDGE wireless data network when outside of 3G coverage areas. The BlackJack also can be used in more than 190 countries worldwide to make and receive voice calls, and it can be used in 125 countries to access data.