HIMSS18 may be over, but the takeaways from the exhibit floor and sessions have stuck with us. Themes around improving the patient experience, streamlining clinical workflows, and strengthening patient data security were hot topics. And of course, none of this cutting-edge care is possible without the network.

A few key demos from our Cisco booth zeroed in on network and medical device management, the evolution of collaboration for patients and clinicians, and ransomware protection for patients and data.

Healthcare innovation starts with the network

Across healthcare, there is a shift toward digitization of measurement and patient care. That means increased use of connected medical devices and applications on mobile devices. This added complexity drives a need for IT support—but in many cases, IT budgets aren’t increasing.

Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) is a platform for the delivery of clinical services. It enables best-in-class performance at the wireless edge and on campus through WAN. Security is embedded throughout, with the network acting as security sensor and enforcer. At the heart of the platform is Cisco DNA Center, which automates policy and network provisioning, enabling organizations like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to adapt to rapid changes in the environment.

Learn more about the network foundation for IoT and connected healthcare.

The future of care-team collaboration

When patients enter your hospital, their first touchpoints are the interactions with your healthcare professionals. The communication and workflows among your care teams can make a real difference in your patients’ experiences and outcomes. Collaboration technology is helping to close some of the communication gaps in ways that are easy for clinicians, patients, and their families to navigate.

One example is Cisco Spark, a next-generation collaboration platform that provides secure messaging, meeting, and calling. It enables patients and their loved ones to connect easily from home with care teams and specialists. At the Steadman Clinic, Cisco Spark enables clinicians to bring in remote specialists, annotate records live, and make real-time care decisions.

Learn more about collaboration in healthcare.

Ransomware protection

Securing an ever-changing and complex IT infrastructure can be overwhelming, especially when faced with the growing threat of ransomware. When a healthcare system is infected, malware locks down patient files and demands a ransom, usually in the form of cryptocurrency. When this happens, providers must pay to avoid interruptions in care.

Cisco Umbrella provides a first line of ransomware defense by detecting and blocking malware, botnets, and phishing. When the University of Kansas Hospital wanted to improve their security posture to safeguard connected medical devices and medical, they deployed Cisco Umbrella.

Learn more about protecting patients and data before, during, and after an attack.

Healthcare innovations are changing the way patients interact with doctors, the way care teams communicate, and the way hackers steal patient data. At the core of this innovation is the network that makes it all possible. Explore the many ways that Cisco is empowering healthcare innovation at cisco.com/go/healthcare.