AT&T* and Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System for Health are working to bring the first standards-based 5G enabled hospital to the U.S. 5G technology will be used in parts of the hospital in various use cases.
It’s important to begin using 5G technology in health care settings. 5G will ultimately bring faster speeds, lower latency and support the abundance of innovative technologies Rush is currently deploying throughout its system.
Rush System for Health, a clinically integrated network of health care providers and hospitals in Chicago, is poised to take full advantage of AT&T’s 5G network, Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) – a cloud-based IT service environment at the edge of the network – and other advanced network related technologies as they become available. AT&T MEC services will enable Rush to manage its cellular traffic over both its local network and its wide area network. This will allow Rush to better satisfy network communications and application processing needs for its data, enhance the various use cases across its system, and help improve the patient experience.
“Rush has a long history of innovation in healthcare. We strongly believe 5G is a game-changing technology that when fully implemented will help us support better hospital operations as well as provide the highest quality patient and staff experience,” said Dr. Shafiq Rab, senior vice president and chief information officer, Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System for Health. “High-speed, low-latency 5G technology will help enable care to be delivered virtually anywhere at any time. The technology will enhance access to care, even from long distances, while also helping to decrease costs and improve efficiency. Imagine sometime in the not too distant future, for example a doctor performing a virtual visit with a patient while downloading an entire MRI scan within seconds. The cutting-edge applications we’re implementing need a fast, reliable network to support them. That’s why we turned to AT&T.”
The 5G technology will help connect various applications, people, devices, robotics and more. The Rush collaboration with AT&T doesn’t stop with network services. Together, they will create opportunity to explore the use of mobile technology in technology-driven therapies, improving hospital operations and enhancing the patient experience. The project will kick off this month and create learnings throughout most of 2019.
“AT&T believes ultimately 5G’s fast speeds and ultra-low latency will transform all businesses – and Rush is leading the way in healthcare,” said Mo Katibeh, Chief Marketing Officer, AT&T Business. “Imagine a hospital where rooms are intelligently scheduled, patient care is enhanced with artificial intelligence and augmented reality is used in training medical students. It sounds like the future, but it’s not that far off. And we want to help make it happen.”