Many are concerned with what the repeal of net neutrality means for startups or small businesses. But what about the affect it will have on the healthcare industry as a whole? This touches all of our lives and will have a direct impact on our wellbeing, so it is vital that we take a closer look.

Remote Monitoring & Connected Sensors. Processes such as remotely examining x-rays or connecting a patient to a physician long distance all require a high level of bandwidth. Without the internet speed necessary to complete tasks like these, care delivery becomes a much more burdensome process.

Electronic Health Records (EHR). Increasingly over time EHR systems require high-speed connectivity. In an industry where lives are on the line, speed is of the utmost priority.  Slower connection speeds could mean slower response time from caretakers.

Medical Research. Most all scientific research that is founded on collaboration will now become far more cumbersome. Many argue that allowing faster lanes for specific organizations—a hospital, in this situation—would actually end up benefiting the patient. Having said that, only the largest and most prosperous medical companies would be able to afford such an arrangement. So the downstream effect would be amplified issues for Healthcare professionals in rural or lower income areas.

Overall, net neutrality in the Healthcare industry would boil down to inhibiting innovation and decreasing the pace that care is delivered to the patient. Whether it affects your personal use of a wellness app, how a medical device is connected to the internet, or the speed that medical research is being shared—high-speed internet has become imperative to care delivery.

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