VA Palo Alto partners with Verizon to deploy a full-spectrum private 5G network, enabling advanced clinical innovations for veterans. The network’s capabilities include augmented reality for pre-surgical guidance, virtual 3D X-ray vision, and medical education through virtual reality. The hybrid commercial and private 5G environment enhances data usage and supports AI-enabled clinical decision-support tools. Verizon’s Project Convergence focuses on building private 5G and mobile edge computing infrastructure for improved healthcare services. The partnership aims to revolutionize patient outcomes and improve medical care worldwide through pioneering tools and faster data delivery.
The VA Palo Alto Health Care System has taken a significant step forward by embracing a comprehensive 5G network in collaboration with Verizon. This private network is set to revolutionize the clinical landscape, offering cutting-edge advancements such as 3D X-ray vision, augmented and virtual reality, digital twins, and other data-intensive innovations to enhance healthcare for veterans.
The introduction of Verizon’s 5G connectivity will unlock a plethora of possibilities at the Department of Veteran Affairs facility. Among the potential applications are augmented reality tools for pre-surgical guidance, virtual 3D X-ray vision incorporating CT and MRI scans, and virtual reality platforms for medical education, empowering clinicians to learn from accurate models of human organs.
The full-spectrum 5G environment encompasses all three 5G frequency bands, providing a next-generation campus-wide network. This hybrid combination of commercial and private 5G will significantly expand capabilities. Notably, the increased bandwidth will empower VA clinicians to utilize vast and intricate medical datasets more effectively, facilitated by cloud-based servers and AI-enabled clinical decision support tools at the network’s edge.
The new network also promises innovative applications, such as “holographic teleportation enhancing clinical interactions at a distance” and wider utilization of digital twin technology, according to Verizon.
Project Convergence, spearheaded by the VA’s National Center for Collaborative Health Care Innovation, has partnered with Verizon to develop the private 5G and mobile edge computing infrastructure. In 2020, VA Palo Alto Health Care System gained recognition as the first 5G-enabled healthcare facility within the VA network. This latest deployment follows the establishment of commercial in-building 5G systems throughout the Palo Alto facility, with Verizon’s 5G rooftop macro sites delivering services to the campus exterior.
The collaboration between Verizon and VA has also been reinforced by a nine-year expansion worth over $448 million, aiming to further enhance the partnership and its impact on healthcare outcomes.
Dr. Thomas Osborne, director of the National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation and Executive Director of the VA Convergence Center at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, emphasized the goal of providing the best and most advanced healthcare for veterans while also driving innovation for the benefit of patients globally.
Kyle Malady, CEO of Verizon Business, highlighted the critical role of data in healthcare settings and praised Verizon’s 5G technology for its ability to unlock unprecedented capabilities, improve efficiencies, and ultimately focus on enhancing clinical care and healthcare outcomes.
