Business Internet for Healthcare Practices: What You Need to Know

A healthcare practice's internet requirements are fundamentally different from a standard office. Slow connections delay EHR access. Downtime can interrupt patient care. And the wrong network setup can create HIPAA compliance exposure. Here's what to know before you choose or renew your connectivity.

Why Healthcare Has Higher Internet Stakes

Consider what runs on a typical medical practice's network: Electronic Health Records (EHR/EMR), medical imaging (PACS), VoIP phone systems, patient-facing Wi-Fi, telehealth video platforms, insurance verification portals, and connected medical devices. A single slow or unreliable connection affects all of them simultaneously.

Speed Requirements for Medical Practices

Rough guidelines based on practice size and usage:

• Solo practitioner / small practice (1–3 providers): 50–100 Mbps symmetrical minimum
• Mid-size practice (4–10 providers): 100–500 Mbps symmetrical
• Large practice or imaging-heavy specialty: 500 Mbps–1 Gbps symmetrical
• Multi-location group practice: DIA per location with MPLS or SD-WAN overlay

If your practice does telehealth video visits, add 10–25 Mbps symmetrical per concurrent video session. Medical imaging (PACS) is extremely bandwidth-intensive — imaging-heavy specialties (radiology, cardiology) should consult with their PACS vendor on connectivity requirements.

HIPAA and Your Internet Connection

Your internet connection itself isn't directly subject to HIPAA, but the way you use it is. Key requirements:

• Encrypted transmission: All PHI transmitted over the internet must be encrypted (TLS/SSL). This is handled by your EHR and applications, not the ISP — but your network configuration must not break it.
• Access controls: Patient-facing Wi-Fi must be on a separate network segment from your clinical network. Never let patients on the same network as your EHR.
• Business Associate Agreements: Your ISP is generally not a Business Associate under HIPAA (they're a conduit), but your IT/MSP provider managing your network likely is.
• Audit trails: Your network should log access attempts. This requires proper router/firewall configuration, not just a basic ISP-provided gateway.

Why Healthcare Practices Need Dedicated Internet Access

For most medical practices, Dedicated Internet Access is worth the premium over shared broadband. The reasons:

• Guaranteed speeds at all times — no slowdowns during the lunch rush
• Symmetrical upload/download for EHR cloud sync and telehealth
• SLA-backed uptime with defined repair windows
• Static IP addresses (often required for VPN access to EHR systems)

Redundancy Is Not Optional for Healthcare

Ask yourself: what happens to your practice when the internet goes down? If the answer involves being unable to access patient records, verify insurance, or process payments — you need a backup circuit. A secondary LTE failover connection ($50–$80/month) is a minimum. Larger practices should consider dual-fiber from separate carriers with automatic failover.

Multi-Location Considerations

Group practices with multiple locations have additional complexity: connecting locations securely (MPLS or SD-WAN), centralizing EHR access, and ensuring consistent performance across all sites. This is where working with a telecom broker becomes especially valuable — we can design a multi-location connectivity solution that works across all sites and negotiate with carriers for all locations simultaneously. Learn more about our telecom management services.

Getting the Right Connectivity for Your Practice

Healthcare connectivity decisions are consequential — both for operations and compliance. Discover Communications has worked with medical practices of all sizes to design and procure internet solutions that meet clinical, compliance, and budget requirements. Contact us to discuss your practice's specific needs.