The adoption of cloud computing is increasingly becoming a fundamental technology for the healthcare industry by changing the way healthcare providers deliver patient care and services to their patients. The most important drivers for this evolution are the ever-present need to cut costs and improve quality of care. Below we are exploring the advantages of cloud computing as it modernizes the business of healthcare and the patient experience.
Data Storage Capability and Flexibility
The healthcare industry works with a tremendous amount of sensitive data from patient files and medical imaging to administrative records. Data storage is one of the biggest applications of the cloud in the healthcare industry because it allows healthcare professionals to store and access files from off-site locations in an instant while reducing the cost and infrastructure burden of maintaining servers on-prem.
Cloud computing also allows for an organization to address fluctuating demands. With a need for 24/7 healthcare services, specific times of year such as cold and flu season require more capacity. The cloud’s ability to scale to align with the varying demands of a healthcare practice makes it a good solution to match network and business requirements with healthcare demands. Likewise, if there is a need to scale down, cloud computing’s flexibility allows an organization to do so quickly and easily. By letting a cloud provider handle the maintenance and support of data storage services remotely, healthcare providers are able to focus on what they do best – care for patients.
Improvement in Patient Care and Patient Experience
Cloud computing makes it easier for physicians to provide care as a collaborative team and ultimately improve patient care. Secure data storage and data sharing through the cloud allows medical records and medical imaging to be immediately available to a patient’s care team for faster and more effective diagnosis and treatment. With information that previously would have been filed away and stored in physical cabinets, now these records are readily available through the cloud. Physicians can avoid downtime when time is critical, and lives are on the line.
In addition to improving traditional patient care, cloud computing to bridge the gap between physicians and their patients in remote locations or during off hours. Cloud computing works with mobile devices, video conferencing and applications like patient portals built specifically for elevating patient care, the cloud allows for fast service and better communication remotely.
Plus, with the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable devices are making it easier than ever to monitor a patient’s condition or keep in contact with a doctor.
Although cloud computing in healthcare continues to evolve, it can still be perceived as a high-risk area for IT teams working with private patient data. valuable, it can still be perceived by some as unsafe. But by selecting the right cloud model for an organization and being thorough in putting together a successful cloud migration strategy, an organization can overcome these risks.
Have a question about beginning a cloud migration? Work with our solutions architects to begin a cloud readiness assessment and determine the best strategy for your organization.
