How A 5G Network Solves CIO & CFO Challenges ​

As the CIO - or IT staff member - of a hospital or healthcare organization, your main technology concerns are around the security, flexibility, and performance of the wireless network.​

These factors impact the decisions CIOs make when upgrading the hospital network:​

A) Security and protection of patient information, health records, and other sensitive data is likely the most important objective for a hospital CIO. HIPAA Privacy and Security rules, established in 1996, provide strict guidelines for 4 primary areas:​
 

• HIPAA Privacy Rule which focuses on the standards for protecting communication of patient data and health records ​
• HIPAA Security Rule which governs the protection and safeguarding of databases pertaining to patient information​ ​
• HIPAA Enforcement Rule which provides details on the rules, hearings, and penalties for not following HIPPA regulations​
• HIPAA Breach Notification Rule which determines guidelines for healthcare organizations and staff to take immediate action, including notification standards, in case of a health data breach

A 5G mobility network delivers secured access to conform to the HIPAA Security rules and regulations. Ensuring protection of patient and hospital data when accessed by mobile and smart devices is imperative. A 5G network provides native authentication and encryption that guarantees significantly higher security than a Wi-Fi network. More hospitals are opting for an on-premise 5G infrastructure for its security features alone. 

B) Flexibility of the network that can support multiple services, often dynamically, and scale effectively to support value-added services remains a major factor in technology decisions for healthcare CIOs. Hospitals typically have a multitude of devices that need to be supported and interconnected to many applications. A deep-fiber architecture deployed in the hospital efficiently supports varied communication end points including 5G antennas, security cameras, sensors, fax machines, monitors, etc. ​​

C) Performance of the mobility network is a key concern for the CIO and IT staff. With network performance being a by-product of ultra-fast, high-bandwidth, and low latency connectivity, the focus is on ensuring that a high-capacity fiber plant supports the wireless-first network within the hospital.

Corning product and services portfolio addresses the needs of the CIO and IT staff by ensuring that its products deliver a much-needed secure, flexible, and superior connectivity for the delivery of quality healthcare.

For chief financial officers (CFOs), and other financial leaders of healthcare organizations, a major factor when considering a technology infrastructure investment or upgrade is ensuring the lowest cost of ownership (TCO). While capital expenditure (CapEx) can be managed in most deployments, the operational expenses (OpEx) associated with an upgrade can often be underestimated. 

CapEx and OpEx are two factors that influence decisions made by healthcare CFOs. Here are the reasons:​

A) CapEx for a 5G infrastructure project needs to include the cost of vertical and horizontal fiber and other cabling, distributed antenna system (DAS) network elements, and all other network components required to deliver the 5G network. A well-planned network design and architecture allows you to manage costs effectively and anticipate the needs for future enhancements or technological advancements.​

B) OpEx for a 5G network comprises of fixed and variable recurring expenses for monitoring, maintenance, electrical, space, and other resources required to operate and upgrade the network. Selecting a network design leveraging modular, flexible, and scalable architecture decreases the upgrade costs significantly while also reducing the ongoing OpEx for the hospital.

Working with a trusted technology expert who can ask the right questions, assist with a thorough and accurate needs assessment, and can support you during and after the installation, will make the entire project go more smoothly. Here are a few questions to start thinking about:​
 

• Will the hospital leverage the 5G network for the delivery of healthcare?​
• Is device interconnectivity needed?​
• Is mobile health (m-health) an area of focus?​
• Will remote therapy be used to treat patients?​
• Will robotic surgery be required?  

Today, CFOs work in alignment with CIOs to ensure that networks support the connectivity needs of the healthcare organization for years to come. Hospitals are currently required to address patient-doctor and staff-doctor mobile communication-and-device interconnectivity that also includes electronic health record (EHR) updates, transfer, and anytime-anywhere access; accordingly, the network needs to be ultra-fast, high-bandwidth, secure, and readily available everywhere. There can be no more dead zones where mobile connectivity is unavailable in the hospital.

The design of the network can be the ultimate savior, with the role of a trusted technology consultant who can be relied upon always becoming imperative for the success of the CFO. Corning addresses the needs of the CFO by ensuring that its mobility and optical products provide the lowest TCO. Our expert staff distinguishes itself by always offering the most pragmatic advice as technology consultants. We partner with CFOs to deliver the lowest cost healthcare communications network for their 21st century hospital.  

Looking for more information? Check out our Everon product portfolio or contact us.