Wired for Wellness: Empowering Secure, Connected Care

Like many patients, Jack wasn’t just worried about the procedure itself. He wanted reassurance that his care team had everything under control, and that he could stay connected to his loved ones during a stressful time.

But trust is harder to build when technology falls short. During Jack’s stay, his vitals were taken three times in two hours, not because of his condition, but because the systems caring for him weren’t connected. He began to feel more like a task than a patient, unsure if his care team had the full picture.

Jack’s story is familiar, and it set the stage for our recent webinar, Wired for Wellness: Empowering Secure Connected Care, hosted by Cox Business.

The Human Cost of Disconnected Care

When systems don’t work together, patients like Jack notice. They’re not alone. A recent survey found that 32 percent of patients experienced setbacks in their health because of cumbersome support processes. At the same time, one in three nurses say electronic records contribute to burnout, and 80 percent of healthcare organizations admit outdated technology holds them back.

Behind each statistic is a person—whether it’s a patient waiting for results, a nurse juggling repetitive data entry or a leader struggling to keep operations running smoothly.

The Ripple Effect

Disconnected systems create ripple effects that extend far beyond frustration. Duplicate testing alone costs hospitals an estimated $20 billion each year, while staff lose nearly a third of their day to manual tasks. Time that should be spent on care is lost to inefficiency.

For Jack, this meant repeated tests, delayed communication and growing anxiety about whether his care team truly had a clear view of his needs.

Rebuilding Trust Through Connection

The good news is that hospitals are finding ways to break this cycle. By strengthening their technology backbone, they are not just improving operations—they are transforming the patient experience.

During the webinar, we explored how organizations are reimagining care with:

• Resilient networks that ensure records and monitoring tools are always available
• Cloud-ready platforms that allow systems to scale and adapt
• Unified communication tools that connect staff in real time
• Patient connectivity that provides comfort and peace of mind during recovery

Some hospitals have already seen results, including a 35 percent reduction in nurse documentation time and a 22 percent decrease in patient triage time. Caregivers now spend more moments with patients instead of screens.

A New Reality for Healthcare Cybersecurity

One of the biggest threats to this vision is cybersecurity. Nearly 92 percent of healthcare organizations faced a cyberattack in the past year, with ransomware causing average downtimes of 19 days. For patients like Jack, that could mean delayed care or compromised trust.

Cyber resilience has become just as critical as medical resilience. It ensures hospitals stay connected, even in the face of disruption, so care never stops.

Why It Matters

By the end of Jack’s stay, things began to look different. His transfer triggered a real-time alert. His history, medications, and vitals followed him seamlessly. His new room welcomed him with secure WiFi and entertainment. And his nurse, freed from excess paperwork, had 15 extra minutes that shift to spend with Jack—listening, answering questions, and easing his stress. Best of all, Jack could video chat with his family anytime, helping him feel supported and connected throughout his recovery.

That’s the power of secure, connected care. It’s not just about technology. It’s about restoring confidence, keeping patients close to their loved ones, supporting staff, and improving outcomes.

At Cox Business, we are committed to helping healthcare organizations build the secure, reliable foundation needed to make stories like Jack’s the rule, not the exception.