PalmOne is touting the success of its Wi-Fi enabled Tungsten C in the healthcare market, as the device is now deployed in hospitals, medical centers and doctor's offices across the United States.

The company claims the Tungsten C addresses healthcare professionals' need for real-time access to information with a device that fits comfortably in their lab coat pocket. With the integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b) users can connect to existing Wi-Fi networks and access patient records and drug databases at the point of care.

In addition, the handheld's 64MB of memory and 400MHz processor, both tops in the Palm OS world, allows users to run several healthcare applications, such as MercuryMD's MData Enterprise System; Skyscape references; the ePocrates' clinical suite, including ePocrates Rx and Rx Pro; and PatientKeeper Enterprise, including clinical results, charge capture and dictation.

Bellow are some examples of healthcare facilities integrating the Tungsten C into their everyday activities.

By providing physicians with Tungsten C handhelds and PatientKeeper, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, said it is able to deliver patient information at the point of care and increase revenue by streamlining the billing process.

"Increasing access to essential patient information and reducing administrative work means better care and service to patients," said Monte Brown, M.D., vice chairman of the department of medicine at BWH. "The Tungsten C handheld with PatientKeeper's software has met the demanding needs of our physicians."

As for Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA, nurses and physicians in the Advanced Care Cardiac Unit use Tungsten Cs and MercuryMD's MData Enterprise System to help with patient care, giving nurses and doctors access to patient information from anywhere in the unit through the hospital's existing Wi-Fi network.