LifeNet Relies on Avaya IP Communications to Help Doctors and Hospitals Assist Transplant Patients


NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 26 // -- HIMSS, BOOTH #1075 -- As the nation's largest nonprofit, full service organ donation agency and tissue banking system, LifeNet defines the term "mission-critical communications." When seconds count, the organization relies heavily on voice communications in carrying out the vital and sensitive work required to help patients in need of organ transplants and tissue donations. With an innovative, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and Unified Communications solution from Avaya (NYSE:AV), LifeNet speeds communications and reduces stress in its busy Donor Center.

The LifeNet Donor Center is on call every hour of the day, handling approximately 250 to 300 calls every day of the year, linking donor families, doctors, transplant teams and LifeNet field personnel. The organization requires rock-solid reliability to ensure consistent communications service, and when LifeNet decided to add communications capabilities, they also looked for a solution that would allow more mobility options to help reduce stress in these time-sensitive jobs.

"The ability to communicate effectively at the office, on the road or from home provides our people with tools to do the jobs that we feel are so important while offering the opportunity for well-needed mental downtime," said Kevin McPhee, manager of Telecommunication and IS Help Desk Services, LifeNet. "When you're in the midst of a potentially critical medical situation, it is very helpful to have the option of handling communications from home or other locations. The rapid pace of the healthcare world means we really benefit from these types of advancements."

LifeNet turned to Avaya, a leading global provider of communications applications, systems and services, for a cost-effective solution that provides LifeNet workers with the flexibility needed to communicate anytime, anywhere. With Avaya Communication Manager telephony software as the primary voice platform installed at LifeNet headquarters, the Donor Center has advanced call routing to help make sure that calls get to the right person as quickly as possible.

Avaya Unified Communications Solutions serve LifeNet field workers throughout the United States, delivering calls, and access to directories, conferencing tools, voicemail and Microsoft Outlook messages and features on their mobile cellular devices, making communications on the road and at home instantly accessible. Avaya in-building wireless phones provide the mobility needed for campus workers, with all the features and functions of their office phone through an easy-to-use portable handset. A solution from Avaya DevelopConnection member NICE Systems (NASDAQ:NICE) enables LifeNet workers to capture, archive and analyze important lifesaving communications both at the headquarters and from the road.

LifeNet continues to evolve its communications, eyeing Avaya VPN phones for home or remote office-based field workers. Avaya VPN phones connect to LifeNet's virtual private network the same way a remote computer would, providing secure call connectivity quickly and easily, and eliminating toll charges.

McPhee added: "We have recently implemented Avaya VPN phones for some of our field workers, and the early success we're seeing points to further expansion of Avaya unified communications in our organization."

About NICE

NICE Systems (NASDAQ:NICE) is the leading provider of Insight from Interactions(TM) solutions, based on advanced analytics of unstructured multimedia content -- from telephony, web, radio and video communications. NICE is revolutionizing VoIP interactions management with state-of-the-art solutions for IP contact centers, branches, and command and control centers. NICE's solutions are changing the way organizations make decisions, helping them improve business and operational performance, address security threats and be proactive. NICE has over 24,000 customers in 100 countries, including over 75 of the Fortune 100 companies. More information is available at www.nice.com.

About Avaya

Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500(R). Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet protocol (IP) telephony systems and communications software applications and services.

Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services - Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results. For more information visit the Avaya website: www.avaya.com.

Source: Avaya Inc.

CONTACT: Media Relations - Mary Thiele, +1-908-953-6152, mthiele@avaya.com

Web site: www.avaya.com/
http://www.nice.com/

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