The pandemic took telehealth from a “nice-to-have” to a critical solution overnight. Since the height of the pandemic, U.S. healthcare organizations have embraced hybrid care models that bring virtual workflows into traditional patient care. By applying lessons learned in digital transformation and, in many cases, redeploying resources adopted during the pandemic, many leading health systems are reimagining their virtual care strategy to help address staffing challenges and improve patient safety. Enterprise telehealth is paving the way for virtual engagement at every patient’s bedside to reduce clinical blind spots and amplify the reach of limited staff resources. With this new paradigm in place, there has been a drive to rein in the various solutions put in place temporarily during the pandemic, with more and more healthcare IT teams trying to drive security standards across virtual care workflows.
The true value of hybrid care is only realized with the ability to see and hear in every patient room. The success of virtual care programs hinges on networks’ ability to support uninterrupted, high-quality video communications on a 24/7 basis. This requirement is often not fully understood by health IT teams driving standardized security and network management across the enterprise. In fact, this is often at odds with corporate IT initiatives around network security and performance. Standards that make perfect sense for many IoT devices such as forcing time-outs on logged-in staff, renewing IP address leases, and over subscribing Wi-Fi access points can seriously disrupt patient care. Designing networks to efficiently handle IP address management and support two-way communication at scale is not trivial. Wi-Fi networks must be optimized to handle not only two-way video but the potential congestion caused by connected devices. It is not sufficient to say we have invested millions of dollars in a state-of-the-art network if it is not properly configured to support the high demands of two-way, real-time communications. 
This session reveals practical steps health systems can take to successfully extend virtual care across the enterprise. The presenter addresses key network considerations when designing the tech-enabled Hospital Room of the Future, with emphasis on bridging the gap between IT and clinical teams to ensure an ideal balance between network security and workflow enrichment. Attendees will learn about key network-related factors that can impact virtual care programs and best practices to ensure your network is optimized to support the critical nature of virtual patient care. The presenter will also share sample workflows that illustrate the importance of coordinated planning between IT and clinical teams to ensure all parties are on the same page as they deploy hybrid care programs aimed at reducing pressure on clinical staff and improving patient outcomes.
Learning objectives:
1.    Uncover key network considerations for developing a reliable and adaptable enterprise telehealth strategy
2.    Explore best practices for maximizing security without disrupting care through IT and clinical collaboration
3.    Identify ways health systems are improving clinician and patient experience with hybrid care models