System opens new conveniences for future

by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations

If keyless doorlocks and multipurpose ID cards for payroll reporting and vending machine purchases sound like the future, then the future is here. It’s at MUSC, where the integration of high technology with daily workplace needs is becoming a reality.

MUSC Medical Center is in the process of activating a security access system designed to provide efficient, controlled access for hospital personnel who are called back to the hospital area beyond normal working hours.

“The system provides free reign and authorized access without the need for extensive manpower,” said Al Nesmith, director of safety, security and volunteer services. “The system monitors itself. This type of technology enhancing security is certainly the wave of the future.”

The access control system operates when a proximity card is placed near a reader unit. The unit sends signals to the master control system which verifies a user’s identity, time, and access location. It responds by opening and closing a door.

The new proximity cards will be used by physicians and staffers who require 24-hour access into the Medical Center. Cards will be distributed under the approval of hospital department chairpersons.

“Under a basic security system, when a master key is lost, it compromises good security,”, said Lt. Bob Waite, physical security officer. Waite explained how replacing keys or changing out locks can be both time consuming and expensive. Replacing a proximity card imprinted with its own unique signature can cost as little as $2.25 per card said Waite.

Establishing an effective security system in the medical center follows the university’s targeted plan to provide a keyless complex. The system is successfully being used in campus areas which include Gazes Research Center, College of Nursing, Physical Plant and Rutledge Tower.

“We’re looking at introducing the proximity card as the institution’s next medium for a universal identification card,” Waite said.

Ideally, the card may someday have multiple uses: as a single card photo ID, building access control, debit system for vending machines and food service, library checkout, plus time/attendance and payroll reporting Waite explained.

“The possibilities of using a programmable card access system are endless,” said H. Biemann Othersen, medical director and chief pediatrics surgeon at MUSC Children’s Hospital. Othersen was among the first medical center staffers to be issued a card and sat on the original committee who investigated the use of a barcode identification card on campus. The access security system will be installed at entrances connected to the main Medical Center, Storm Eye Institute, MUSC Children’s Hospital, Rutledge Tower, Clinical Science Building and Emergency Services.

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