ARRA, has been making good on its promise to have dramatic and lasting effects on the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) in the United States. President Obama is quoted as saying the following about HER: "To improve the quality of our health care while lowering its costs, we will make the immediate investments necessary to ensure that, within five years, all of America's medical records are computerized."
Regardless of one's political views, the current reality is that the ARRA and in particular HITECH are having an impact on the amount of IT business within healthcare facilities. Incentives for implementing EHR and penalties for failing to do so have prompted upgrades and are expected to continue doing so into the future.
These new business opportunities for professionals in the structured cabling industry come with them questions, concerns and demands from network-management professionals in healthcare end-user organizations. As questions and concerns get answered, and demands get met, some familiar cabling-related themes emerge. They include debates over media (fiber vs. unshielded twisted-pair vs. shielded twisted-pair, and where wireless fits in).
The following pages bring you the first of a two-part special report on cabling for healthcare facilities. The report will conclude in next month's issue when we also bring you case studies of healthcare users.
Patrick McLaughlin is chief editor of Cabling Installation & Maintenance.
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