VA Hospitals Get Ready for Mobile-Savvy Patients
By
Bob Brewin
Vets apparently are loading up on iThings, at least in Milwaukee.
The Veterans Affairs Department plans to eventually install Wi-Fi systems to serve patients and visitors at hospitals and clinics nationwide.
VA has been running the patient Wi-Fi procurements on a regional or hospital basis -- in the Southwest and Colorado, for example -- and in the past has offered little detail on expected usage.
That changed last Saturday when the Milwaukee VA hospital put out its solicitation for a patient Wi-Fi system and said it expected to support veterans who tote up to three wireless gadgets, somewhat surprising since the hospital population skews towards older vets, not younger Iraq and Afghanistan vets who have embraced mobile technology.
The 275-bed Milwaukee VA hospital said it expects to provide a maximum of 1,122 concurrent Wi-Fi connections to patients and visitors.
And to think I went years without even a plain old telephone after Vietnam.