Vertical: Healthcare
Application: VR-assisted learning, AR-based guidance
Ecosystem: Verizon Business
Private Network: 5G
The Palo Alto VA Medical Center is set to become the first fully 5G-enabled hospital in the United States. This milestone achievement comes as a result of a strategic partnership between Verizon Business and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, which began its transition to 5G technology back in 2020. The hospital’s transformation to a private 5G infrastructure will revolutionize patient care and pave the way for cutting-edge medical capabilities.
The implementation of 5G technology in the healthcare industry holds the promise of transforming patient care through smart technology integration. The high-bandwidth, low-latency nature of 5G enables lightning-fast data transfer, allowing for real-time decision-making and fostering unprecedented connectivity across the hospital campus.
The Palo Alto VA Medical Center’s 5G-enabled network will introduce an array of innovative medical applications, enhancing the standard of care provided to patients. Some of the notable advancements could include AR-assisted presurgical guidance with 3D X-ray vision and CT scans and VR-assisted medical learning.
“Our goal is to provide the best and most advanced healthcare for our Veterans,” said Thomas Osborne, M.D., director of the Veterans Health Administration’s National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI) and Executive Director for the VA Convergence Center (VC2) at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
The private 5G network at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System is part of Project Convergence, a public-private partnership between the VA’s National Center for Collaborative Health Care Innovation and Verizon Business that began in 2020. The collaboration aims to identify and develop clinical uses for 5G technology, with the ultimate goal of transforming veteran care and extending its benefits to healthcare systems worldwide.
