3M™ Health Data Management System (HDM)

INCLUDING 3M™ DOCUMENTATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (DOCMS), 3M™ CLINICAL DOCUMENTATION IMPROVEMENT
SYSTEM (CDI), 3M™ HEALTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (HRM), 3M™ AMBULATORY REVENUE MANAGEMENT
SOFTWARE (ARMS), AND ALL PRODUCTS COMBINED WITH THE 3M HEALTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Wireless configuration requirements 02/09

This document lists requirements and recommendation for wireless connectivity between the 3M Health Data
Management System (HDM) products and laptop computers. This information applies to all HDM products.

Requirements for wireless access

Component Requirements and recommendations

Remote access software The following remote access software is required:
• Citrix®
• Terminal Services
Network interface card • Ethernet 10 Mbps cards required
• 1 Gbps cards recommended
• All cards must have the latest drivers loaded

Required software: Citrix software on Terminal Servers

For the best results when using HDM software on a wireless network, 3M requires Citrix software. Citrix offers the
following benefits:
• The Citrix server or servers reside on the in-house network. They provide a backbone of at least 100 Mbps, which
eliminates the problem of slower network access.
• You can configure Citrix to allow users to reconnect if they lose the connection from their wireless laptops. Users can
then reconnect without losing unsaved data.

Maximizing wireless speed

Wireless networks typically run at the following speeds: Wireless 802.11a and 802.11g networks can run up to 54 Mbps;
Wireless 802.11b can run up to 11 Mbps. Most wireless networks often run at half of their maximum speed, so they are sig-
nificantly slower then the 100 Mbps of most Large Area Networks (LANs). Even if a wireless network (WLAN) is set up to
run at 54 Mpbs, the following factors can slow down the system:
• A slower computer connecting to the network. This can drop all traffic to 11 Mbps. If the network runs at half the maxi-
mum speed, as often occurs, the speed would be reduced to about 5.5 Mbps.
• Shared bandwidth.
• Interference from walls, cell phones, or nearby wireless networks.
• Distance to access points. This can cause disconnection as well as slowdown.

Minimizing the risk of disconnection

The HDM products do not re-establish a database connection if they disconnect, and all unsaved data is lost. For these
products to work effectively on a wireless network, the risk of disconnecting should be minimal. To reduce the risk of
disconnecting, you can take the following actions:
• Install more wireless routers or repeaters.
• Ensure that users log out of the database as they move around the building to areas where access may be limited.

3M Health Information Systems, Inc. | www.3Mhis.com 3

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Health Information Systems
Division Headquarters
575 West Murray Boulevard
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
800-367-2447 Please recycle. Printed in U.S.A Published 2/09
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