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How Mobile Hotspots Support WiFi for Healthcare

This article was published on:
August 17, 2023
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Mobile hotspot devices for healthcare nonprofits not only impact how providers communicate with each other and their patients, they can advance the health of our communities by empowering people to adopt new ways of managing and receiving health services.

Doctor with tablet using a mobile hotspot for her healthcare nonprofit with a patient

Many healthcare nonprofits already use mobile hotspots for telehealth and remote care, allowing their patients to access services regardless of cultural barriers, location, or income limitations. The Center for Hearing and Speech in St. Louis, Missouri is a perfect example. The nonprofit’s leadership considered Internet access a natural extension of the Center’s mission to empower communication for people with hearing loss, so in 2020, they began providing patients with Wi-Fi hotspot devices and tablets to use at home.

Low-cost, quick-to-deploy, and highly portable, mobile hotspots for telehealth bring patients, doctors, and staff together with reliable, high-speed Internet. Put a mobile hotspot device in a patient’s home, and they can immediately connect with support groups, specialists, and care teams. Let care workers take a mobile hotspot with them, and they can stay connected to key resources and other members of the care team wherever they go.

Key Benefits of Mobile Hotspots for Healthcare Nonprofits

Mobile Internet for healthcare nonprofits helps organizations bridge gaps in Internet access and support digitally-enabled, equitable care for all. Here are four important ways hotspot devices can make a difference for your organization and the people you serve:

1. Improve Collaboration Between Healthcare Teams

Mobile hotspots enable seamless communication between remote and onsite healthcare providers, making it easier to share patient records, conduct virtual consultations, and coordinate care.

2. Expand Healthcare Access for Underserved Communities

Many patients face barriers to healthcare access due to financial, mobility, or location-based limitations. Providing mobile hotspots allows them to stay connected to telehealth services, schedule virtual appointments, and manage their health remotely.

3. Bring Reliable Internet to Remote Healthcare Locations

For healthcare workers operating in rural towns, tribal lands, or urban connectivity deserts, mobile hotspots provide essential Internet access for accessing patient records, imaging, and virtual consultations. Mobile Citizen offers affordable high-speed mobile Internet designed specifically for nonprofit healthcare providers.

4. Increase Patient Telehealth Adoption

According to an article by TechTarget’s Xtelligent Healthcare Media, digital equity and health equity go hand in hand: “In healthcare, the digital divide can lead to disparities in patient portal adoption, telehealth care access, or ability to utilize patient-facing practice management software, like online appointment schedulers.”

Limited Internet access can prevent patients from fully utilizing telehealth services. Mobile hotspots offer consistent, private Internet connections, making it easier for patients to adopt and maintain virtual healthcare visits.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Healthcare

Many underserved and at-risk communities don’t have reliable access to quality Internet where they live. WiFi hotspots at coffee shops and libraries offer free Internet access, but these public spaces certainly aren’t ideal for private telehealth conversations.

According to an American Medical Association blog post, telehealth is critical to the future of health care, but it must continue to evolve into something that’s easier for everyone to use.

Public WiFi options at libraries and coffee shops are not suitable for private telehealth sessions. Many at-risk communities lack secure, high-speed Internet, preventing them from accessing modern digital health technologies.

By integrating mobile hotspots into healthcare programs, providers can bridge the digital divide, offering equitable healthcare access and improving patient outcomes.

Empower Your Healthcare Nonprofit with Mobile Citizen

Mobile Citizen provides affordable, high-speed Internet solutions exclusively for nonprofits, schools, libraries, and social welfare organizations. Our mobile hotspot devices and unlimited data plans help healthcare organizations expand their reach, improve patient care, and advance healthcare equity.

To learn how your nonprofit can use WiFi for healthcare to improve telehealth access and patient satisfaction, contact Mobile Citizen at 877-216-9603 or visit our Get Started page today.