The cable industry will be out in force again at the 2015 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago, showing off new innovations and featuring deployments of services tailored for healthcare organizations.
Among the cable providers that will be present at this year's HIMSS conference are Comcast Business, Cox Business, Spectrum Business, and Time Warner Cable Business Class.
They’ll be on hand as healthcare services, including new broadband-driven telehealth applications, become significant growth drivers for cable’s business services initiatives.
Recent moves by cable into the healthcare services sector include Comcast Business’s new Ethernet @Home service and an initial deployment with Cooper University Health Care, Mediacom Business’s Ethernet services to Southern Illinois Healthcare; and Time Warner Cable Business Class’s new HD Video for Healthcare service, which is expressly designed for hospital patient rooms.
Additionally, Cablevision Systems launched a community video-on-demand channel in partnership with Winthrop-University Hospital for subscribers living in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; and Cox Communications announced a venture early this year with the Cleveland Clinic to develop in-home services for medical care. The Vivre Health joint venture aims to create solutions for remote doctor consultations as well as services that use monitoring equipment to enable physicians to track a patient's recovery after a hospital stay.
Meanwhile, Spectrum Business, a division of Charter Communications, completed the final segment of an 87-mile fiber network in 2014 in partnership with OCHIN.
“Healthcare is an ever-evolving environment and technology demands are on the rise – doctors and patients expect 24/7/365 reliability, accessibility, and continual innovation,” said Don Detampel, EVP and president, commercial services, Charter Communications, in a statement. “The cable industry is primed to meet these healthcare needs through our robust fiber networks, innovative TV solutions, and advanced voice capabilities.”
Also at the event, several cable executives will also participate in an Interoperability Showcase Education Theater Session titled “How Cable Keeps Healthcare Well Connected” on Tuesday (April 14) at Noon. The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) will be located at the Interoperability Showcase Kiosk.
