HIPAA eCommerce

The Value of Healthcare Cloud Solutions for Healthcare Software

Published February 1, 2023  |  8 min read

The healthcare industry is no stranger to complex issues. Struggling with a large and confidential data set, scalability ahead of market change, and ballooning operating costs are all day-to-day challenges faced by the sector.

Thankfully, healthcare cloud computing solutions have been able to step in, adapting to an ever-changing landscape while also reducing overheads along the way. The pandemic has illuminated the invaluable role of cloud computing in healthcare.

Aspects like patient privacy, expenses, and even medical collaboration have been heightened through IT infrastructures. Cloud computing offers a much-needed boost to doctors and nurses worldwide, upgrading security protocols for better care while minimizing costs at every turn. Here's how.

A doctor using cloud-based solutions on a tablet.
Key Takeaways
  • Adopting cloud technology and HIPAA-approved cloud storage is an excellent way for medical professionals to store and share medical data, engage in telemedicine, and improve overall patient care by improving EMR/EHR access.
  • Cloud-based solutions can be infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or software as a service (SaaS).
  • Creating a solid plan to move to cloud computing will reduce the number of problems as you adopt cloud solutions for medical records and telemedicine.
Cloud solutions are an excellent way to store electronic medical records.

What is a Cloud-Based Healthcare System?

Cloud computing in healthcare is a convenient way to store and secure medical information through remote servers, which increases data security and HIPAA compliance, and other industry standards.

Patient privacy is further enhanced through two-factor authentication and encryption via the internet and associated HIPAA-compliant cloud storage. It has become increasingly popular in healthcare due to its ability to handle large amounts of data securely.

Cloud storage in data centers improves doctor awareness and patient outcomes.

Types of Cloud Technology in Healthcare

Care-providing organizations can use different types of cloud computing services to meet their needs. These include:

  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – This enables the healthcare organization to access and manage the underlying hardware, such as servers, storage devices, and networks.
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS) – Provides tools for creating web applications and other healthcare data management software systems.
  • Software as a Service (SaaS) – Allows organizations to access applications for managing patient data, analytics tools for monitoring health data, and even facial recognition tools for tracking visitors.

Why is the Healthcare Industry Moving to the Cloud?

More and more healthcare organizations are implementing cloud systems to make their workflows more efficient and increase their level of patient care. Here are specific reasons why healthcare cloud computing in healthcare is becoming ubiquitous.

Explosion of Telemedicine

Cloud computing in healthcare has been a powerful catalyst in enabling the revolution of telemedicine. By offering patient health insurance, data sharing, and virtual analysis capabilities, organizations are better equipped to manage treatment plans digitally from diagnosis through recovery.

Collaborate Better with Other Healthcare Professionals

By leveraging cloud technology in healthcare, doctors can now collaborate more effectively and efficiently. Doctors can share data with one another with ease and access past visits of their patients, saving both time for doctor and patient alike.

With this newfound ability, diagnosis accuracy is expected to improve as well as the effectiveness of treatment options available.

Better Patient Experiences Lead to Happier Patients

By implementing cloud computing technology, doctors are making it easier for patients to stay informed and engaged in their health with real-time access to lab test reports, medical information, and doctors’ notes.

Not only does cloud computing in healthcare empower individuals by providing more knowledge about their own condition, but it also reduces unnecessary tests or prescriptions.

Data Management Technologies Continue to Integrate

Computers exchange and interpret information to enhance healthcare by constructing data integrations through the medical system. Cloud computing in healthcare provides patients with accessible information, and its flexible distribution generates valuable insights into improving healthcare delivery.

Data Storage is More Affordable (and Safer)

Health-providing organizations generate an immense amount of digital data, including lab tests, insurance claims, EMR patient records, and prescriptions. To manage this growing volume efficiently, Cloud computing in healthcare provides a great storage solution.

Also, sophisticated analytical tools, including artificial intelligence in health insurance, can leverage the power of big data by transforming it into meaningful insights to support more informed decisions in healthcare.

Cloud technologies provide a great way to improve care.

Planning For Your Cloud Computing Healthcare System

What do you want to get out of your upcoming HIPAA secure cloud solutions? You need to create a plan so that your healthcare data storage is secure and that all of the apps work for anyone who needs to make use of them (healthcare workers and patients alike).

Decide What's Going to the Cloud

To maximize the potential of your healthcare organization, it's crucial to consider how Cloud computing in healthcare can improve processes. Analyzing current pipelines and identifying any limitations will allow you to pinpoint which functions need an upgrade for better medical delivery and team operations.

Making a timely transition is essential; communicating with technology vendors helps measure schedule needs more accurately in order to bridge any gaps that might exist between where you are now and full-fledged success.

List Your Objectives

In order to take full advantage of cloud technologies for your healthcare business, it is important to understand the requirements and determine what needs cloud solutions. Applying cloud technologies can be beneficial in many ways, from saving expenses to improving security and data protection, as well as providing better backups.

Understanding your objectives allows you to effectively communicate your needs with a technology provider, who can tailor a cloud solution that is best suited for your business.

Who Will Be Responsible?

Implementing cloud computing in healthcare will take the work of many people to ensure that it is easily acceptable yet highly secure. Whether you assemble an on-site team or hire HIPAA developers to create the site, you must also look to the future to ensure that security features are kept up to date and that all bugs are fixed as they appear.

If working with an outside vendor, you'll want to find one that will sign a business associate agreement (BAA). This is a legal agreement saying that the company hosting your HIPAA-compliant website will take responsibility for the security of your HIPAA data while it's in their care.

Planning for Cloud technologies can be an intensive process.

The Challenges of Healthcare Cloud Solutions

The plan we talked about above will prevent many of the problems that can can arise when you move to a healthcare software domain. But there will still be challenges, and here are two of the most common.

Security Isn't Easy

No matter where data is stored—in the Cloud or locked on your own servers on-premises—it's going to be a target for thieves who want to steal it. Putting patient data in the Cloud means that additional security has to be applied to your servers, the software you use, and your HIPAA website compliance.

Adoption and Acceptance Can Be Difficult

Acceptance of new methods isn't easy in any industry, especially among those who are used to "the old ways." Some healthcare workers will have difficulty adopting cloud computing methodologies. You'll need training that not only shows them how to use it, but also the benefits of switching medical records to a virtual environment.

Cloud technologies create specific problems for hospitals and private practices alike.

Choose a Healthcare Cloud Computing Developer

We won't lie to you—switching healthcare data to a cloud-computing environment is going to be a big deal. That's why it's so important to find a medical software developer that has extensive experience with healthcare data, websites, and HIPAA-compliant mobile apps.

Clarity would love to help you create a plan as you adopt cloud solutions, and that's why we offer a complimentary Discovery session. We'll bring our best people to the table, on the tech and business side, to help you make a roadmap for your cloud technology future. Use it with us or take it to another developer; we just want to see you succeed. Get in touch to get the process started.

Doctor happy with Cloud-based solutions in healthcare.

FAQ

 

Cloud systems are becoming increasingly popular among healthcare providers because of what Cloud computing delivers, including cost-effectiveness, scalability, and security.

There are many companies that offer Cloud computing services; each offers a unique set of features that may be suited better depending on the organization's needs, so it is important to research each provider thoroughly before committing.

 

Cloud computing offers cost-effectiveness, scalability, and security. Healthcare organizations can use cloud services to store patient data, deploy web applications, and partner with other medical providers securely and in a timely manner. Additionally, Cloud computing enables healthcare organizations to access powerful analytics tools for monitoring patient health.

 

Healthcare is moving to the cloud because of its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and security. Cloud computing allows healthcare organizations to store patient data securely, deploy applications quickly and gain access to powerful analytics tools.

Also, Cloud computing can reduce costs by eliminating the need for additional hardware and personnel.

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Author
 
Stephen Beer is a Content Writer at Clarity Ventures and has written about various tech industries for nearly a decade. He is determined to demystify HIPAA, integration, and eCommerce with easy-to-read, easy-to-understand articles to help businesses make the best decisions.