Many of us are familiar with the term “the internet of things” (IoT), but only some know that the road to IoT began back in 1982, when grad students from the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University connected a modified Coke vending machine to the internet.

Streamlined communication is always beneficial, but when a crisis hits, efficient, accurate communication is absolutely essential. The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique crisis in communication.

As care teams become larger and are spread out over multiple sites, timely and accurate communication across the care continuum is more important than ever.

Protecting electronic patient health information (ePHI) has become even more critical since the healthcare industry has transitioned away from paper-based processes and into a more connected, electronic delivery model.

Imagine you’re a doctor just finishing up with a patient who is suffering from life-threatening injuries. It’s critical that you move quickly, but you’re waiting for crucial lab results and aren’t sure if lab technicians are receiving your pages.

In healthcare, your business is subject to the privacy standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The goal of HIPAA is to protect personal health information (PHI) that are held by doctors, insurance companies, and pharmacies.

It might be an extreme weather event-- a hurricane, a forest fire, a tornado. Maybe it’s an act of terror, or maybe it’s a failure of aspect of the infrastructure.

We live in an information-driven world: advents such as big data, cloud-based storage, and online databases allow for the gathering and storing of information to a degree unimaginable just a generation ago.