The proliferation of connected devices and data-intensive processes in healthcare is forcing hospital CIOs to evaluate alternatives to existing Wi-Fi networks, pushing them ever closer to their limits.
The proliferation of connected devices and data-intensive processes in healthcare is forcing hospital CIOs to evaluate alternatives to existing Wi-Fi networks, pushing them ever closer to their limits.
Hospitals have relied on Wi-Fi for years, and connectivity is determined by the amount and strategic placement of network hardware. Chief information officers say this setup can be difficult to scale at the pace of rapidly increasing demand for bandwidth.
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Hospitals have relied on Wi-Fi for years, and connectivity is determined by the amount and strategic placement of network hardware. Chief information officers say this setup can be difficult to scale at the pace of rapidly increasing demand for bandwidth.
Some hospital CIOs are looking to newly automated warehouses and factories to test and evaluate private networks powered by high-speed 5G wireless cellular technology and other private-public hybrid 5G systems. It says this has the potential to scale across hospital campuses more quickly than ever before. Traditional Wi-Fi.
“Network speed and scalability will become even more demanding as new technologies emerge, especially augmented reality and virtual reality,” said Scott Arnold, chief digital and innovation officer at Tampa General Hospital. He said the amount is increasing. Used for education, including surgical training.
The benefits of private 5G networks, which rely on signals from mobile phone sites, are similar to those of cloud computing, Arnold said. Rather than maintaining its own physical Wi-Fi infrastructure, the hospital will be able to outsource connectivity to major carriers and quickly scale up and down based on demand, he said.
“Our Wi-Fi network is limited by the amount of lines we purchase,” Arnold said, adding that physical hardware installation can have long lead times.
Wi-Fi has held up so far, but evolving medical technology could change that. Medical records are increasingly electronic, accessed via laptops and iPads by professionals moving around the hospital. More and more medical devices, such as intravenous pumps, are connected to the internet. And emerging, bandwidth-hungry technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and new applications of artificial intelligence are slowly making their way into hospitals.
Tampa General is currently constructing a new pavilion, scheduled to open in 2027. Arnold said the company is considering whether to use a private 5G network as the primary connection point rather than Wi-Fi. In any case, traditional Wi-Fi will continue to be in place as a backup, he added.
Still, it may be some time before 5G is widely adopted in hospitals, as many medical devices do not utilize 5G. Venky Ananth, senior vice president and global head of healthcare at information technology consulting firm Infosys, said cybersecurity concerns could be a barrier, especially for hospitals. Although providers like T-Mobile claim private 5G is more secure than his Wi-Fi, some heir CIOs remain wary.
Boston Children’s Hospital Chief Information Officer Heather Nelson said the hospital is working with T-Mobile to create a hybrid 5G environment. The idea is that this will support both secure hospital traffic and general public connectivity, but Wi-Fi will still be available. backup.
“We knew we couldn’t scale with our current legacy systems,” she said. We also knew we needed to change our clinical mobility strategy as new technologies emerged. Why not just do that and make sure it’s scalable and robust? We can grow with it, and it can grow with us. ” She added that they have been in talks with a number of medical device manufacturers who are incorporating 5G capabilities into their products.
5G promises to cover the hospital’s 3 million square foot campus more reliably than Wi-Fi, she said. She said Wi-Fi can cover a large area if there are enough access points, but users who move between those points may experience questionable service, such as a dimmed signal on stairs or long hallways. There is a possibility that they will receive.
For hospital staff, it’s a source of frustration.
“Wi-Fi is not going away,” Nelson says. “But I’m trying to create a more ubiquitous and reliable platform.” He added that testing of the 5G system is progressing well so far.
But in some areas, Wi-Fi continues to handle the digital load without upgrading. Craig Richardville, chief digital and information officer at Intermountain Health, commented that 5G solutions are “at the cutting edge” in healthcare. He said Wi-Fi is working well for the Salt Lake City, Utah-based health system.
Richardville said that as they evaluate 5G for the future, they also consider cost, device compatibility, and cybersecurity. Currently, Intermountain operates a number of segmented Wi-Fi networks independently of each other. This provides a higher level of security and less competition for critical services. For example, patients and their families do not log into the same network that processes their medical data. .
“We’re not going to introduce technology just because it’s cool or new,” Richardville said, adding that it needs to offer “better quality, better price and better experience.”
Email Isabelle Bousquette at isabelle.bousquette@wsj.com.
