Abstract
This report presents survey data about broad IT purchasing behavior in the
healthcare market, as well as, data specific to WAN services and wireless data
services. The healthcare vertical market includes ambulatory healthcare
services, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and social
assistance.
Respondents from healthcare firms were more likely to indicate that their firm
was at the cutting edge of innovation, and that they use IT as a competitive
tool, compared to other respondents. Survey results also show that
decision-makers in this vertical expected a satisfactory return on IT
investments in a shorter time than those in other verticals.
For healthcare firms, the most important factors when purchasing WAN services
were reducing operating costs and improving network security, similar to other
firms. However, healthcare firms' decision to implement WAN services is more
likely to be influenced by a need to support applications specific to the
healthcare industry.
When selecting a wireless data service provider, healthcare firms were most
likely to find service quality and geographic coverage important. As far as
the primary benefits expected from implementing a wireless data solution,
healthcare decision-makers indicated increased employee productivity and
efficiency most often. Healthcare respondents were significantly more likely
than those in other verticals to indicate standardization of processes as a
benefit.