Chicomm Blog

The future of healthcare technology is an exciting landscape of better overall health, enhanced hospital safety and seamless access to information – all powered by wireless communications.

Digital two-way radios, IP phones, radio frequency identification and smartphone apps for healthcare, as well as upgrades to more traditional communications systems such as nurse call systems, are all playing a key role in shaping the industry’s growth.

With the benefits to well-being in mind, let's take a deep dive into understanding the current challenges facing healthcare technology and the ways that upgraded wireless communications, accessories and applications are fueling the industry’s future.

Even as ensuring secure healthcare communications becomes more complex with technological advances in the cloud, the simplest challenge still remains: how to seamlessly connect personnel on the ground.

There are questions about securely keeping people in touch that cell phones and analog radios just can’t answer, from what safety features are needed to how to protect patient privacy.

As the ailment threatening secure healthcare communications become tougher, let’s take a look at why digital two-way radios are the best cure.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued comprehensive new guidance on the emergency preparedness rule for providers and suppliers that recently took effect.

The guidance from the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group includes the four core elements of emergency preparedness, templates and checklists, as well as details on preparing for specific events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, influenza and homeland security threats.

For healthcare users, radio frequency identification, or RFID, isn’t just convenient technology, it saves lives.

Healthcare technology leaders say being able to electronically track medication, assets and people has increased patient safety and decreased mistakes due to human error.

With safety in mind, here’s a quick look at three healthcare uses for radio frequency identification.

Given the ever-changing nature of the health care industry, it can be difficult to keep up with all of the shifts in technology, legislation, policy and recommendations. Luckily, in additional to traditional media outlets, there are some great blogs out there from a range of different sources that provide timely updates, news and analysis.

With content including consumer-focused public health posts to opinionated political rants, here are some of the best blogs for the health care industry.

When I think about the communications trends among our health care industry clients, one of the biggest emerging themes is collaboration: Hospitals and medical centers are looking for devices, applications and solutions that bring departments, agencies and sites together on the same platform so they can keep in touch to address situations.

Every health care client is different, and within those clients, each department has their own unique communications needs, from the emergency department, to facilities, valet and beyond. As I mentioned in a previous post about school transportation, all of our communications solutions are custom built for each client. Part of our challenge then is to develop systems that work well for each client and all of its parts.

It’s an exciting time to be working in health care, and here are the communications trends that are transforming the industry:

The health care industry has some of the most complex communications needs imaginable: in addition to the safety, security and privacy of patients and staff, the industry has mountains of patient data to handle and technology trends to track. 

There is no shortage of innovation in health care when it comes to communications, and things are getting more high-tech all the time for patients, health care professionals and staff.

Here’s a look at 6 things the health care industry is doing to improve communications.

Most lists of workplace safety tips focus on the physical: proper posture, the importance of the right safety gear, the need to take regular breaks. But what about workplace safety that relates to communication, not just technology, but workers’ ability to effectively relate to each other?

A National Public Radio story recently relayed how Shell drastically improved worker safety on oil rigs in the 1990s by transforming rig culture with an unorthodox approach: They got workers to be vulnerable with each other by communicating more openly.

While the healthcare industry refers to the people it serves as patients, the customer service mentality is key. When people feel they've gotten excellent customer service in healthcare systems, that often means they got excellent medical care.

Great customer service - in healthcare and in every industry - isn’t just about how you and your staff behave when things are going smoothly, it’s also about how you face challenges and complaints. Employees should acknowledge complaints immediately, keep customers frequently updated about the status of the issue and, perhaps most importantly, be empowered to resolve situations.

"Rent VS Own" is one of the most common dilemmas people face in life. Should we be tenants or home owners? Should we lease this car or buy it? Should I just rent this movie or buy a copy? In most cases, there isn't a right wrong answer with this dilemma, as it truly relies on the unique situation you find yourself in. Believe it or not, this is actually the case when it comes to communication and two-way radios.

If you are looking into improving your communication with wireless technology, you've probably come across information about two-way radios. You may even be completely sold on them already, but you just aren't sure if you should rent them or own them. To help you make that decision, here is a quick look at some of the most popular reasons to buy or rent radios.