How can my organization access broadband?
The Basics
Before implementing an electronic health record, you should plan for how your practice/hospital/health center will access broadband. You can access broadband in several different ways:
- Digital Subscriber Line
- Cable Modem
- Fiber
- Broadband over Power Line
- Wireless
- Satellite
For More Information
For more information on the various ways to access broadband, see the following resources.
- The Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Opportunities for Rural America.
- The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Health IT Toolbox provides information on obtaining broadband in rural health care settings. When deciding how your organization will access broadband services, remember the broadband needs of health care providers are different from, and potentially more demanding than, the needs of schools, libraries, and residential households.
Implementing EHRs – Assessing Your Practice Readiness
The National Broadband Map
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission maintain the National Broadband Map, a tool to search,...
The assessment phase is foundational to all other implementation activities, and involves determining if the practice is ready to make the change from paper records to electronic health records (EHRs...
Yes, several tools have been developed to assist physicians, nurses, and office staff in assessing practice readiness. Checklists and methodologies facilitate critical thinking about the kinds of...
We recommend that you set goals in areas that are important and meaningful to your practice. These may be clinical goals, revenue goals or goals around work environment. Goals in all three areas will...
It's not unusual for some physicians to resist using an electronic health record (EHR), and there can be many reasons for this reluctance. Is he/she uncomfortable using a computer? Does he/she fear...
The Basics
The term broadband refers to high-speed internet access. Broadband is different from dial-up internet service for several reasons, including the following:
Broadband service provides a...
Although precise cost estimates are not available, you are not on your own. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) established 62 Regional Extension Centers (...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends the following minimum bandwidth speeds [PDF - 700 KB]:
Single Physician Practice – 4 megabits per second (Mbps)
Supports practice...
If possible, the assessment team should include stakeholders with diverse roles in your practice/hospital/health clinic to leverage each role's expertise in their area of work and to encourage buy-in...
If you find your community does not have access to any of the broadband technology platforms, Broadband.Gov recommends contacting local government officials. You can contact your mayor, county...
One of the five pillars of meaningful use instructs providers to "engage patients and their families in their health," and it is vital to begin engaging patients in the readiness assessment phase....
The amount of time required to perform readiness assessments will vary depending on several factors including the size of your practice/hospital/health center, whether your practice/hospital/health...
The National Broadband Map
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission maintain the National Broadband Map, a tool to search,...
The assessment phase is foundational to all other implementation activities, and involves determining if the practice is ready to make the change from paper records to electronic health records (EHRs...
Yes, several tools have been developed to assist physicians, nurses, and office staff in assessing practice readiness. Checklists and methodologies facilitate critical thinking about the kinds of...
We recommend that you set goals in areas that are important and meaningful to your practice. These may be clinical goals, revenue goals or goals around work environment. Goals in all three areas will...
It's not unusual for some physicians to resist using an electronic health record (EHR), and there can be many reasons for this reluctance. Is he/she uncomfortable using a computer? Does he/she fear...
The Basics
The term broadband refers to high-speed internet access. Broadband is different from dial-up internet service for several reasons, including the following:
Broadband service provides a...
Although precise cost estimates are not available, you are not on your own. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) established 62 Regional Extension Centers (...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends the following minimum bandwidth speeds [PDF - 700 KB]:
Single Physician Practice – 4 megabits per second (Mbps)
Supports practice...
If possible, the assessment team should include stakeholders with diverse roles in your practice/hospital/health clinic to leverage each role's expertise in their area of work and to encourage buy-in...
If you find your community does not have access to any of the broadband technology platforms, Broadband.Gov recommends contacting local government officials. You can contact your mayor, county...
One of the five pillars of meaningful use instructs providers to "engage patients and their families in their health," and it is vital to begin engaging patients in the readiness assessment phase....
The amount of time required to perform readiness assessments will vary depending on several factors including the size of your practice/hospital/health center, whether your practice/hospital/health...
