Cloud Computing in Healthcare: How Cloud Integration can Transform e-Healthcare

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  • By Ranjit Singh
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  • clock 10 minutes MIN READ
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  • calendar Updated: July 20, 2022

The use of cloud computing in the healthcare industry has significantly increased. As a result, every medical institution, including doctors and nurses, has benefited from IT infrastructures during pandemic conditions.

Improved privacy, lower costs, and better patient care through remote operation and cooperation are some benefits of the rising use of cloud technology in healthcare. In addition, the adoption of cloud computing in the healthcare industry has given rise to new opportunities to improve the efficiency of IT systems.

The cloud computing industry is expected to reach $71,730.64 million by 2027, with a CAGR of 14.12 percent between 2022 and 2027, as per the Mordor intelligence report. Thus, it is clear that healthcare firms will embrace new technologies and increase their investment in their development.

What is Cloud Computing in the Healthcare industry?

The method of enabling remote servers accessible over the internet to store, manage, and process healthcare data is known as cloud computing in the healthcare sector. This method offers a flexible way for healthcare experts to remotely access servers online.

The global healthcare cloud computing industry is anticipated to reach $35 billion by 2022, with an annual growth rate of 11.6 percent, according to a BCC analysis.

Both patients and providers can profit from the shift to the cloud. Virtualization in cloud computing has shown to be advantageous for reducing operational costs while enabling healthcare providers to provide high-quality and individualized treatment from a commercial perspective.

On the other side, patients are becoming accustomed to receiving medical care immediately. Additionally, by enabling patients to access their medical records, healthcare cloud computing improves patient outcomes by increasing patient participation.

The democratization of data combined with online access to healthcare liberates both patients and providers while removing geographic restrictions on access to care.

Why are medical institutions switching to the cloud?

Healthcare institutions have been implementing new technology to improve patient care by introducing innovative patient care applications and optimizing operations. Despite these IT solutions, they must contend with issues including scalability, universal access, the demand for computing resources, multi-tenancy, high infrastructure costs, and an increase in collaboration needs. These difficulties are addressed by the cloud’s features, which include:

On-demand service: Without human involvement, the resources are delivered immediately.

Resource pooling: Multiple users may simultaneously utilize cloud services.

Elasticity: It is feasible to add, delete, or upgrade depending on the company’s needs.

Broad Network Access: From every location at any time, a wide variety of network accessibility is offered.

Measured service: Customers only have to pay for the services they use.

Top Advantages of Adopting Cloud Computing in Healthcare

Almost every question a US adult has while interacting with a healthcare service provider has an answer in the cloud.

An Economical Method for Storing Medical Data

Every year, healthcare practitioners generate enormous volumes of digital data. These consist of insurance claims, prescriptions, EMRs, and lab tests. Cloud computing makes it easier to manage that data effectively. In addition, cloud computing’s increased data storage capacity allows cloud-based analytical tools to use the data better and transform it into useful information.

Growth of Telemedicine

Telemedicine is expanding thanks to the quick use of cloud computing in the medical field. Apps that run in the cloud and telemedicine platforms improve accessibility, provide patient health insurance during treatment, prevention, and recovery, and help share healthcare data.

Additionally, several healthcare mobile apps offer more sophisticated features like virtual drug usage analysis or video conferencing for doctor sessions. In a nutshell, cloud computing is essential for improving telemedicine-based medical treatment.

Improved Cooperation

Collaboration is enhanced through the use of cloud technologies in healthcare. For example, patients no longer need to bring their personal medical records with them when they visit a doctor, thanks to the EMR in the cloud.

Even doctors can share data, review previous consultations with other medical experts, and share data. It helps with more accurate diagnosis and treatment while saving time for both doctors and patients.

Ownership of patient data

Cloud computing and healthcare enable data democratization and give patients control over their health. It increases patient involvement in health-related choices and serves as a tool for enhanced patient engagement and education.

The fact that medical data may be easily archived and subsequently retrieved when the data is kept in the cloud is another indication of the industry’s importance of cloud computing. In addition, data redundancy is drastically reduced as system uptime increases, and data recovery is also made simpler.

Easy interoperability

Creating data linkages via the healthcare system is the primary goal of interoperability, regardless of where the data is stored. Healthcare interoperability is made possible by cloud technologies, which also make patient data available for flexible dissemination and the acquisition of insights to speed up healthcare delivery.

Medical practitioners may access patient medical data gathered from various sources, distribute it to key stakeholders, and deliver protocols on time, thanks to cloud computing in healthcare.

Enhanced patient experience

Doctors can improve patient involvement with the use of the cloud for healthcare by giving them real-time access to medical information, test results, and even doctors’ notes. As they gain more excellent knowledge about their health, this gives the patients power over their health.

Additionally, cloud computing in healthcare prevents patients from receiving excessive prescriptions or being forced to do pointless tests, both of which can be revealed in the patient’s medical records.

The next step would be to understand the various sorts of cloud computing in healthcare after looking at the advantages.

Types of Cloud Computing in Healthcare

Two types of cloud computing are used in the healthcare sector that is deployment and distribution.

Distribution Model

Software as a Service: Providers deliver IT infrastructure, and clients employ apps and operating systems.

Platform as a Service: Providers deliver mobile apps, IT infrastructure, and operating system, and other elements in an easy-to-use platform.

Infrastructure as a Service: Clients deploy apps, and providers offer the operating system and IT infrastructure.

By deployment

Private: The cloud facility can only be used by one healthcare organization or chain.

Public: The cloud is accessible to all parties involved.

Hybrid: The model integrates a few of the elements of the deployment’s previously mentioned model.

Community: Several healthcare organizations can access the cloud.

The risk involved with Cloud Computing in Healthcare

Even with all the benefits, cloud computing in healthcare still has certain drawbacks. So let’s look at it!

Exclusive Ecosystem

The healthcare sector cannot become productive and efficient if cloud technologies are solely accepted in that sector. Healthcare firms must use the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and data management technologies in order to benefit from this technology.

Shortage of experts

It isn’t easy to find healthcare app developers with the knowledge to integrate new technologies in the healthcare software sector. Similarly, finding cloud experts in the health industry is challenging.

Security Issues

The primary purpose of adopting cloud technology is to store medical data. It also carries security dangers, though.

The company’s data sharing with other companies on a server and the distant systems to personalize them may fail as a result of the primary cloud configuration. As a result, healthcare organizations struggle to implement cloud technologies.

Problems with Technology Adoption

The entire task management process must be transformed in order to transition from a legacy framework to cloud technology. Healthcare organizations should instruct everyone on how to use it in their regular responsibilities.

How Can Risks Be Minimized When Using Cloud Computing in Healthcare?

Healthcare businesses and technology suppliers must work together on a multi-phase process known as a healthcare cloud computing application. Additionally, it would be beneficial to take some precautions against threats related to cloud computing.

Determine Your Goals

Understand the need for cloud systems in your healthcare organization first. You cannot otherwise enumerate the items that require cloud solutions. Several justifications for using cloud technologies include:

  • Saving expenditures

  • Compliance management

  • Security advancement

  • Data security and better backups

List all the items you want to switch to the cloud for

Even if you may have a lot of procedures to move to the cloud, you must realize that some specific functions require this upgradation. Analyze your healthcare organization’s current pipeline to identify any roadblocks to providing high-quality healthcare or impeding the work of your healthcare team.

Consider the importance of making the swift transfer to the cloud after evaluating your company’s processes in order to gain the most advantages. Additionally, it will improve communication with the technology vendor and allow for more accurate timing of the technical delivery.

Calculate the specific investments

Making the switch to the cloud will cost money. Decide whether your company can afford such investments by doing so. Paying IT specialists involved in the entire transfer procedure is included in the main expense. One can:

Outsource Jobs to Offshore Technical Vendors

It’s a reliable option that provides security, ease of use, and affordable prices. But you need to be prepared for possible linguistic barriers.

Build a technical team internally

It’s a complex process because you have to hire staff and pay each specialist a lot of money. However, you have simultaneous control throughout the entire transfer procedure.

Recruit freelancers

Although hiring freelancers is the most economical option, sharing patient information with them is not preferred.

Companies Using Cloud Computing in Healthcare

In order to provide high-quality care, cut operating expenses, and enhance the overall administrative process, many top healthcare organizations have already started implementing cloud computing in healthcare management procedures. Here are some of the most well-known cloud services for healthcare organizations.

NetApp

By facilitating quicker backup and restoration operations and simpler data growth adaptation, it delivers data in real-time to speed up and improve the efficiency of clinical processes.

Medsphere

A healthcare IT services provider called Medsphere works with numerous clinical, financial, accounting, nursing, and other businesses.

ClearData

The main objective of cloud computing business ClearData is to move medical apps and data into the cloud so that customers may access it over a private and secure internet connection.

Nintex

It streamlines manual procedures, particularly when it comes to documentation. It improves the overall patient experience and offers automated services to professionals in the healthcare sector.

Carecloud

Healthcare professionals can communicate directly with patients and increase their productivity by using Carecloud, a practice management and EHR system.

Pfizer

It is an excellent example of how cloud computing can be used in the medical field to improve communication and teamwork. It involved the technology in Xalkori, a medication for lung cancer explicitly created for the group of patients with the ALK gene mutation.

Reasons For Some Healthcare Organizations’ Reticence To Use The Cloud

While many healthcare businesses have made commitments to migrate to the cloud, many more are hesitant to do so. The difficulty of preserving patient data in a new setting is one of the critical causes of this hesitation.

A cloud move would require modifying the current security rules and implementing new ones, which increases the danger of a data breach. In addition, many providers employ entrenched legacy systems to manage patient data.

In brief, if the company doesn’t put in place the required safeguards, a cloud migration increases the chance of a data breach. In addition, healthcare providers suffer severe financial losses as a result of data breaches because disclosing patient information is punishable by severe fines and runs the risk of alienating customers.

In conclusion

Using cloud computing in healthcare can influence the sector’s future in several ways. Even the most developed nations in the world struggle to meet the enormous amount of healthcare needs.

However, directing cloud computing power into the healthcare system can undoubtedly result in real advancements that benefit everyone’s access to high-quality applications.

Cloud solutions have a lot to offer, from lowering costs or saving time to offering convenience and scalability among healthcare developers.

Thus, you must hire professional developers from a healthcare development company who can help you develop feature-rich web and mobile applications.

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