Hartford Healthcare
Hartford Healthcare is revolutionizing patient communication across Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network, seamlessly connecting 500 locations through innovative digital signage solutions. From bustling hospital lobbies to community physician groups and urgent care centers, their real-time information displays touch over 17,000 lives daily across 185 towns and cities.
With strategic deployments in 30 high-traffic locations including parking garages and medical buildings, Hartford Healthcare’s digital network delivers more than 190 million annual impressions, ensuring critical health information, wayfinding assistance, and wellness resources reach patients and visitors exactly when they need it most. This forward-thinking approach to healthcare communication exemplifies how Connecticut’s leading health system is reshaping the patient experience through technology that informs, guides, and empowers their community.
Hartford Healthcare
- Connecticut’s most comprehensive health care network (hospitals, physician groups, urgent care centers, home health services and more)
- Strong focus on community-based care
- Serve 185 towns and cities across Connecticut with nearly 500 locations
- On average, touches more than 17,000 lives a day
- Deployed to 30 locations (garages and buildings) across Connecticut (and expanding) with more than 190 million annual impressions
- Position HHC in front of a valuable on-the-go audience of residents, commuters, doctors and staff
- Place in strategic locations, particularly those that service their most competitive markets
- Maintain network as part of a brand repositioning strategy
- Share meaningful information that can be updated often and instantly
- Enhanced ad-based storytelling (promote brand and messaging)
- Deployed first-of-a-kind employee network to share updates and messaging, words of appreciation and location specific content
- Combination of digital kiosks and static signs (wallscapes, elevator wraps)
- CMS platform and support services
- Enhanced visitor experience through digital engagement and info. access
- Keeping people safe and informed as they visit healthcare facilities
- Raised visibility of HHC brand in every corner of the state, including markets previously having trouble accessing
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How Healthcare Networks Transform Patient Experience Through Digital Communication
Hartford Healthcare’s implementation of comprehensive digital signage across Connecticut demonstrates the transformative power of strategic healthcare digital boards in modern medical facilities. When healthcare networks span hundreds of locations and serve thousands of patients daily, the challenge of maintaining consistent, timely communication becomes paramount. The deployment of digital communication systems across parking structures, medical buildings, and clinical spaces represents a fundamental shift in how healthcare organizations connect with their communities.
The strategic placement of digital displays in high-traffic areas like parking garages might seem unconventional, yet it proves remarkably effective for healthcare systems. Visitors often experience their first moments of stress when arriving at medical facilities, searching for parking, and navigating information. By implementing wayfinding kiosks and digital displays in these entry points, healthcare networks can immediately reduce anxiety and improve the overall patient journey. These touchpoints deliver essential information about facility locations, visiting hours, and safety protocols before patients even enter the main buildings.
Scaling Digital Infrastructure Across Multiple Facilities
The complexity of managing digital communications across 500 locations requires sophisticated content management systems that can deliver targeted messages while maintaining brand consistency. Each facility within a healthcare network serves different community needs, from emergency departments to specialized clinics, requiring tailored messaging strategies. The ability to centrally manage content while allowing for location-specific customization ensures that urgent care centers can promote walk-in availability while surgical centers focus on pre-operative instructions.
Healthcare organizations implementing similar digital transformation initiatives must consider the technical infrastructure required to support millions of annual impressions. Network reliability, content scheduling capabilities, and remote management features become critical factors when displays operate continuously across diverse environments. The integration of real-time data feeds enables these systems to display current wait times, physician availability, and emergency notifications instantly across the entire network.
Maximizing Impact Through Strategic Display Placement
The success of healthcare digital signage depends heavily on understanding patient and visitor flow patterns throughout medical facilities. High-impact locations extend beyond traditional waiting rooms to include elevator banks, cafeterias, pharmacy queues, and discharge areas. Each touchpoint presents unique opportunities to deliver relevant health information, from preventive care reminders in outpatient areas to nutritional guidance in dining facilities. Modern interactive video walls in main lobbies can serve as central information hubs, providing everything from department directories to health education content.
Creating Community Health Awareness
Healthcare networks serving extensive geographic regions have unique opportunities to promote public health initiatives through their digital infrastructure. Seasonal vaccination campaigns, health screening reminders, and wellness program announcements reach audiences at critical decision-making moments. The ability to update messaging across all locations simultaneously ensures consistent public health communication during emergencies or disease outbreaks, demonstrating the vital role these systems play in community health management.
The educational potential of healthcare digital signage extends beyond basic health tips to include interactive content that engages patients during wait times. Complex medical procedures can be explained through animated content, insurance information can be presented, and patient testimonials can provide reassurance to anxious visitors. This educational approach transforms passive waiting time into opportunities for patient empowerment and health literacy improvement.
Measuring Success and Optimizing Performance
Healthcare organizations investing in digital communication infrastructure need robust analytics and reporting capabilities to measure engagement and optimize content strategies. Understanding which messages resonate with different demographics, tracking display uptime across locations, and analyzing peak viewing times enables continuous improvement of communication effectiveness. The ability to generate 190 million annual impressions requires sophisticated tracking systems that can identify trends and opportunities for enhanced patient engagement.
The return on investment for healthcare digital signage extends beyond traditional metrics to include improved patient satisfaction scores, reduced perceived wait times, and enhanced staff efficiency. When patients can easily find information through self-service kiosks and digital displays, staff members can focus on direct patient care rather than repetitive wayfinding assistance—this operational efficiency improvement compounds across hundreds of locations, creating substantial value for large healthcare networks.
Future-Proofing Healthcare Communications
As healthcare delivery models continue evolving toward patient-centered care, digital communication systems must adapt to support new service offerings and care delivery methods. The integration of telehealth services, mobile health applications, and patient portal access through information kiosks represents the next frontier in healthcare digital transformation. Healthcare networks that establish robust digital infrastructure today position themselves to incorporate emerging technologies and communication channels seamlessly.
The scalability demonstrated by implementations across 30 initial locations with planned expansion highlights the importance of choosing flexible, enterprise-grade solutions. Healthcare organizations must consider not only current needs but also anticipate future growth, whether through facility acquisitions, service line expansions, or geographic market development. The ability to rapidly deploy new displays and integrate them into existing content management workflows becomes a competitive advantage in dynamic healthcare markets.
Building Sustainable Healthcare Communication Ecosystems
The environmental and economic benefits of digital signage in healthcare settings contribute to organizational sustainability goals while improving communication effectiveness. Eliminating printed materials for frequently updated information like visiting policies, department relocations, and event announcements reduces waste and printing costs across large healthcare networks. The ability to instantly update critical information during emergencies or policy changes ensures that patients always receive current, accurate information without the delays and costs associated with traditional printed signage.
Healthcare networks following similar digital transformation paths must carefully evaluate vendor partnerships, ensuring chosen solutions can scale effectively while maintaining reliability and security standards required in medical environments. The selection of display hardware, software platforms, and support services should align with long-term strategic objectives while providing immediate operational benefits. Organizations that successfully implement comprehensive digital communication strategies position themselves as innovation leaders in their markets, attracting both patients and healthcare talent seeking modern, efficiently run medical facilities.