Rush said it expects to use AT&T’s 5G network as well as MEC technology
AT&T and Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System for Health are working together to bring the first standards-based, 5G-enabled hospital to the U.S.
AT&T said that 5G technology will be used in parts of the hospital in various use cases.
Rush System for Health, a network of health care providers and hospitals in Chicago, said it expects to take full advantage of AT&T’s 5G network, multi-access edge computing 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, AT&T said, allowing 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 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.”
“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, CMO for 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.”
The project will kick off this month and will expand throughout most of 2019.
