As the healthcare industry grows to be more dependent on technology, it is now more critical for providers and patients to have access to next-generation technologies. One of the biggest trends in the healthcare industry today is cloud computing. Although many still consider it a relatively new phenomenon that has yet to be proven a success, cloud technologies have been used successfully by leading healthcare providers for over a decade. Today, they are being used increasingly by healthcare providers throughout the United States and worldwide. Cloud computing has helped in the digital transformation of the healthcare industry by creating multiple engagements with patients like online appointment booking, digital consultation, mobile apps, health alerts, and more.

According to the Enterprise Cloud Index Report by Nutanix, the global healthcare cloud computing market will touch $25.54 billion by 2024. As per the report, 46% of respondents have increased their cloud investments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 47% said they had increased their investment in public cloud services to improve healthcare services.

Advantages of Cloud Computing in the Healthcare Industry

• Security and Compliance – Healthcare organizations must comply with regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to ensure patients’ right to privacy. Cloud computing helps healthcare providers implement security protocols that protect data privacy and help manage compliance.

• Highly Scalable – Cloud computing helps healthcare organizations efficiently use their IT infrastructure. Unlike the self-hosted legacy model, cloud computing gives healthcare providers the flexibility to upsize or downsize their IT infrastructure depending on the demand for healthcare services. Modern healthcare cloud platforms are designed to scale up and down as per the requirements in a noticeably brief time frame.

• Cost Efficiency – Modern healthcare cloud computing services are based on pay-as-you-go subscription models. Healthcare companies can choose a cloud service provider with established capabilities to save time and money on IT infrastructure. This helps not only in operational cost reduction but also in reduced capital expenditure.

• Disaster Recovery – If an on-premise system fails due to power outages or cyber-attacks, healthcare organizations can lose all their data, and the time required to recover from the outage might be extended. Healthcare organizations cannot afford to risk downtime for a long time. With cloud-based applications, healthcare organizations can create a robust recovery plan to ensure a secure and timely response to system failovers.

• Improved Collaboration – Cloud computing can improve and enhance collaboration, ensuring better cooperation between different stakeholders by removing silos and maintaining transparency. Teams can share real-time and confidential medical information to enhance decision-making in clinical practices.

Cloud technologies enable the use of electronic medical records, telemedicine, patient portals, remote monitoring, connected devices with Internet of Things (IoT) capability, collecting patient data from various sources used in healthcare, big data analytics, etc. It enhances scalability and flexibility, which improves the decision-making process. Let us look at some of the advantages that the healthcare industry gets by leveraging cloud technology:

Application Of Cloud Computing in Healthcare (Use Cases)

Cloud computing in healthcare has gained much popularity worldwide, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the common use cases for cloud computing in healthcare are listed below:

• On-demand telehealth for remote care – Telemedicine technology has proven to be a huge blessing during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is extremely helpful in parts of the developing world where healthcare services are scarce and inaccessible. Telehealth was the only bridge between doctors and patients during the social distancing rules.

• Reliable data analytics for smart decision making – By adopting an advanced healthcare cloud, organizations can harness the power of Big Data and Predictive Analysis to analyze large volumes of medical data to provide life-saving information.

• Robotics for diagnostics, tests and remote surgeries – Cloud robotics is a revolutionary technology that can improve the efficiency of healthcare facilities. Implementing cloud robotics has helped hospitals overcome geographical resource challenges, resulting in organizations offering patients optimal care.

• AR/VR to improve patient experience – Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are transforming the healthcare industry. AR and VR can create simulations and assessments for clinical procedures to educate healthcare professionals and improve the quality of health-related services.

• IoT-enabled health services – IoT-enabled wearable devices such as fitness trackers, electronic skin patches, and ECG monitors give real-time health data for monitoring health conditions. Last year, the market for wearable medical devices was around $16.2 billion, growing at a CAGR of 13.2%, poised to cross $30 billion by 2026.

Path to Achieve Success With Cloud Computing in Healthcare

• Prepare a roadmap for the cloud transformation journey
• Identify the right cloud service provider
• Ensure all healthcare compliances are identified and managed
• Integrate with your organization’s ERP
• Manage and monitor your cloud environment

Healthcare organizations need to be cognizant of a few elements that are essential for successful cloud transformations based on learnings from ongoing implementation in the healthcare industry and learnings from other industries:

Most healthcare providers are turning to the cloud to improve their services, reduce costs, and make their operations more efficient. Cloud computing in healthcare allows healthcare organizations to seamlessly distribute and manage resources across multiple locations without worrying about IT infrastructure issues or data security risks.

By their nature, most healthcare systems are built on top of legacy, monolithic business applications. These applications are often difficult to maintain and upgrade with the changing requirements of a dynamic ecosystem. By offering solutions that enable native cloud computing, we at Opteamix work as technology partners who will help your digital transformation without disrupting clinical or patient service operations.

If you want to transform your healthcare setup digitally, get in touch to speak with our cloud experts. Our cloud practice will help you deliver a cost-effective cloud health solution for the best possible patient experience and drive maximum ROI from your cloud investments.