Verizon's significant outage on Wednesday disrupted cellular voice and data services for approximately 146 million customers, peaking with reports of service issues from about 33,000 users by the evening. The outage raised concerns about emergency communication as alerts advised residents in major cities like Washington, D.C., and New York City to seek alternative methods during emergencies. Healthcare technology professionals should note the implications for telehealth services and remote patient monitoring, which rely heavily on reliable cellular networks. The incident underscores the necessity for contingency plans in healthcare communication systems to ensure uninterrupted access to care during service disruptions.
