The ever-increasing need for secure bandwidth in healthcare organizations

The increase in cloud-based, digital healthcare has been well-documented and is continuing.  For example, the US telehealth market was valued at $42.54 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.8% from 2025 to 2030. Similarly, the electronic health records market size is projected to grow at 2.8% from 2025 to 2030. Remote patient monitoring is transforming healthcare and is expected to become a common treatment option. Connected medical devices have already become common — the average hospital room has 20, and large hospital systems could have 85,000 connected devices.  All these digital healthcare trends need secure bandwidth to be successfully applied.

Across industries, today's cloud-based applications use more data than in the past, which necessitates the need for increased data transfer and interoperability, and healthcare is no exception.  Three-dimensional imaging, healthcare analytics, and new clinical application development all call for increased bandwidth. All these factors have combined to place unprecedented bandwidth demands on healthcare organization (HCO) networks. 

In HCOs connectivity needs focus on reliable, secure data exchange between medical devices, providers and patients, all while prioritizing patient data privacy and security. Connectivity in healthcare needs to be scalable to meet growing bandwidth demand, while promoting interoperability between systems, secure data transmission, and the ability to integrate various medical devices for seamless data collection. 

Five pressing needs for increased bandwidth in HCOs

The following technologies are the main drivers of the growing appetite for bandwidth in the medical field.

1. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): Rapidly becoming prevalent in the US, RPM uses wearable devices and sensors to send vital signs and health data from patients to their providers, enabling proactive management of chronic conditions. More than 60 million patients in the US benefited from RPM in 2024. This technology is growing in use for managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease where ongoing tracking can make all the difference in enabling prompt action by healthcare providers. With real-time access to patient data, practitioners can intervene earlier to prevent complications, leading to improved health outcomes. 
2. Telehealth: Telehealth is proving its ability to enhance healthcare across key metrics — everything from patient satisfaction to cost savings to outcomes. It provides virtual consultations between patients and practitioners through video conferencing, reducing the need for in-person visits — a game changer for people with mobility challenges and for rural patients. The speed and reliability of an HCO’s internet connection will dictate video quality and data transfer, as minimal latency and high bandwidth are necessary to support live video and voice.
3. Electronic Health Records (EHRs): To support shared decision-making, care teams need access to patients’ electronic health records, and the ability to collaborate virtually to make appropriate care decisions for the patients they serve. Given that care teams may include paramedics, social workers, and therapists in addition to nurses or physicians, HCOs must support EHR access to stakeholders with variable clinical workflows. 
4. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT): While these tools are also a major part of RPM, the IoMT is critical to connecting various medical devices, like smart implants and drug delivery systems, and then monitoring that equipment to collect real-time data. It enables hospital-at-home treatment to avoid hospital admission. This method of delivering care can save costs, improve health outcomes, and deliver a better experience for patients.
5. Secure Data Transmission: One obvious byproduct of increased digital activity in any given industry is a corresponding rise in cybersecurity risk. Efforts must be undertaken to implement robust encryption protocols to protect sensitive patient data from unauthorized access.

While many HCOs are currently investing heavily in these technologies, few have the infrastructure to fully support these initiatives.  Network infrastructure and connectivity must transition from a background function to a strategic enabler of modern healthcare delivery. Enhancements may be needed to help HCOs reach their care delivery goals and for emerging technology to reach its full potential.

Dedicated internet service brings it all together

Dedicated internet service ensures the bandwidth capacity that an HCO chooses is always available to them. A dedicated connection is not shared with others, and should be delivered over a reliable, advanced fiber network. These services send data over a dedicated high-capacity private network designed to avoid oversubscription or competition for network bandwidth. HCOs should have the option to support current and future bandwidth needs with a range of symmetrical speeds up to 100 Gbps.

Scalability is key, and bandwidth should be able to be upgraded as needs evolve. HCOs have the option to select solutions with service-level agreements (SLA) that include industry-leading performance metrics, four-hour mean time to restore service, and a 100% uptime guarantee with applicable service credits. The right SLAs can ensure that internet traffic is delivered to levels that exceed industry standards, to all locations.

How Spectrum Business can help

Our private fiber network with 100 Gbps speeds is backed by a service-level agreement (SLA) that guarantees 100% uptime and is seamlessly integrated into our security, managed services, TV and voice solutions. This allows your HCO to modernize your network more easily, so you can implement the technology you need to achieve your goals.

Our nationwide fiber network ensures that large volumes of crucial medical data are available in real time and all locations stay connected, no matter how remote. Because we know that supporting your mission and providing patient-centric care means staying available and acting with urgency, we offer a comprehensive service-level agreement (SLA). Find out why we’ve partnered with more than 119,000 HCOs to provide secure connectivity and communications solutions.