An important yet challenging part of the job for senior leadership at any healthcare organization is to develop a future outlook backed by a plan for making it a reality. One top executive who knows this well is Heather Nelson, senior vice president and CIO at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Nelson is leading the rollout of a hybrid 5G network at Boston Children’s in summer 2024. The technology is being deployed alongside the organization’s transition to a unified electronic health record (EHR) system.
“5G obviously isn’t new,” says Nelson, noting that the network relies on a mix of public and private infrastructure. “What’s new is having 5G in healthcare. The connectivity that it’s going to give us is incredible.”
The partnership with T-Mobile will leverage the wireless carrier’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions suite. The large pediatric medical center spans around 3 million square feet across its various research and patient care facilities.
Nelson describes the network as “cellular agnostic,” meaning that patients and families without T-Mobile plans can still tap into it on their personal phones. The main driver for the deployment, however, had more to do with the impact the technology will have on clinical care.
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