What is the recommended bandwidth for different types of health care providers?
When calculating IT requirements for a medical office, much care has to be taken. Lives can literally hang in the balance of buffering.
The following information was taken from the HealthIT.gov, a website that is part of Health and Human Service’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This represents the best information available about average bandwidths. Working with Slice or a similar company to determine you actual needs is strongly encouraged.
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 speeds:
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.