Hospitals spend less than 2 percent of their budgets on IT, yet in addition to Internet access, consumers expect to find healthcare information, perform routine tasks, and schedule appointments. And 75 percent of consumers believe that electronic medical records would reduce cost and repetitious activities associated with healthcare. Consumers view the use of IT as an indicator of quality—but few hospitals use IT to connect directly with patients.

The answer goes beyond the Digital Hospital where digital resources are available at patients’ bedsides to the Connected Hospital in which the hospital uses technology to share information across a healthcare ecosystem such as clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, and emergency response units. One U.S. hospital, which had 50 to 199 beds, reported a savings of US$1.3 million per year by interacting with these healthcare segments.

The Cisco® Internet Business Solutions Group is working with the healthcare industry to embrace the healthcare ecosystem concept, using a Cisco Medical-Grade Network as the architectural platform for the Connected Hospital