What is the recommended bandwidth for different types of health care providers?
Recommended Minimum Bandwidth Speeds
It is critical you have the broadband capabilities to support your electronic health record (EHR) system. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends the following minimum bandwidth speeds1:
-
Single Physician Practice – 4 megabits per second (Mbps)
- Supports practice management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of electronic health record (EHR) and high-quality video consultations
- Enables non real-time image downloads
- Enables remote monitoring
-
Small Physician Practice (2-4 physicians) – 10 Mbps
- Supports practice management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of EHR and high-quality video consultations
- Enables non real-time image downloads
- Enables remote monitoring
- Makes possible use of HD video consultations
-
Nursing home – 10 Mbps
- Supports facility management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of EHR and high-quality video consultations
- Enables non real-time image downloads
- Enables remote monitoring
- Makes possible use of HD video consultations
-
Rural Health Clinic (approximately 5 physicians) – 10 Mbps
- Supports clinic management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of EHR and high-quality video consultations
- Enables non real-time image downloads
- Enables remote monitoring
- Makes possible use of HD video consultations
-
Clinic/Large Physician Practice (5-25 physicians) – 25 Mbps
- Supports clinic management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of EHR and high-quality video consultations
- Enables real-time image transfer
- Enables remote monitoring
- Makes possible use of HD video consultations
-
Hospital – 100 Mbps
- Supports hospital management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of EHR and high-quality video consultations
- Enables real-time image transfer
- Enables continuous remote monitoring
- Makes possible use of HD video consultations
-
Academic/Large Medical Center – 1,000 Mbps
- Supports hospital management functions, email, and web browsing
- Allows simultaneous use of EHR and high-quality video consultations
- Enables real-time image transfer
- Enables continuous remote monitoring
- Makes possible use of HD video consultations
Factors to Consider
Estimating bandwidth requirements is complex. You should consider the following factors:
- Number of users
- User locations
- Real-time transactions
- Hardware
- Storage technology
It is often best to work directly with your EHR vendor as you estimate your bandwidth requirements.2
Your Local Regional Extension Center Can Help
Your local Regional Extension Center (REC) can help you estimate your bandwidth requirements. RECs are located in every region of the country to help health care providers select, implement, and become adept and meaningul users of EHRS. Contact your local REC to find out if you are eligible for free or reduced-price local support.
Test Your Broadband Connection
To test the quality of your broadband connection, you can use the FCC’s Consumer Broadband Test.
References
- Federal Communications Commission. "Health Care Broadband in America." [PDF - 701 KB].
- Health Resources and Services Administration. "Should we upgrade our network security before implementing an EHR?"
Implementing EHRs – Assessing Your Practice Readiness
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...
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...
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 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...
The National Broadband Map
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission maintain the National Broadband Map, a tool to search, analyze...
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:...
The Basics
Access to affordable broadband connectivity sufficent to transmit patient data in a reliable way is a major barrier faced by rural providers.1 If you find your community does not have...
Recommended Minimum Bandwidth Speeds
It is critical you have the broadband capabilities to support your electronic health record (EHR) system. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends...
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 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...
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 (...
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...
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...
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 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...
The National Broadband Map
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission maintain the National Broadband Map, a tool to search, analyze...
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:...
The Basics
Access to affordable broadband connectivity sufficent to transmit patient data in a reliable way is a major barrier faced by rural providers.1 If you find your community does not have...
Recommended Minimum Bandwidth Speeds
It is critical you have the broadband capabilities to support your electronic health record (EHR) system. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends...
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 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...
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 (...