In 2023, large health systems, such as Cleveland Clinic and Boston Children's, accelerated their adoption of 5G technology.
The network was launched by cellular service providers in 2018 with the goal of being faster and handling more devices than previous wireless networks. In July 2023, Cleveland Clinic opened its 34-bed Mentor (Ohio) Hospital. The health system installed a private 5G network at the hospital, marking the first 5G-focused collaboration between a non-VA Hospital and Verizon Business' 5G.
Cleveland Clinic's Chief Technology Officer Shibu Thomas told Becker's that the network will allow the hospital to support more medical devices. Additionally, the smaller bed count of Mentor Hospital makes it a suitable testing site for the technology.
In September, Boston Children's launched the first hybrid 5G network at a health system through a partnership with T-Mobile. Through the hybrid model, devices will stay on the network whether they are inside or outside the hospital. Pixel Health assisted with the deployment of the system.
"We know that the demands of healthcare are extremely high: Security is paramount and connectivity has to be ubiquitous everywhere and just not something that anyone thinks about," Chris Melus, vice president of product management at T-Mobile, told Becker's in September. "Connectivity is the foundation of all the amazing things that BCH and Pixel are going to do to build on top of this."
While early adopters of 5G were large health systems, rural hospital IT leaders also see potential in the technology to treat patients in remote areas.
"Having worked in a rural healthcare environment for quite some time, I am excited at the possibility of remote surgeries and robotics, enhanced remote care delivery both in the hospital and the home, specialized services becoming more widely accessible, the promise of care delivery to 'where the patient is,' and robust patient monitoring," Darrell Bodnar, CIO of Whitefield, N.H.-based North Country Healthcare, told Becker's in July. "The 5G technology will be a key factor in care delivery for those in rural underserved areas nationally and globally. It will be a game changer in narrowing the healthcare equity divide."