The healthcare industry has long struggled to comply with regulations and standards. The industry also needed to catch up with the increasing technological advancements. Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) found that healthcare providers often incur high costs due to non-compliance with regulations such as Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economics and Clinical Health Act (HITECH).

However, with the implementation of cloud computing, healthcare providers have been able to overcome these challenges by providing access to software and services that are scalable, accessible anywhere, and compliant with regulation. This article will explore the benefits of cloud computing and how they have transformed the healthcare industry.

What is Cloud Computing in Healthcare?

Cloud healthcare provides a connected, accessible, collaborative environment for clinicians and patients. The collaborative environment consists of remote servers over the internet that store, manage, analyze, and utilize healthcare-related. This implies greater technological advancement than setting up on-site centers or hosting on personal computers.

A cloud environment also delivers cheaper expenses, improved decision-making, and efficient forecasting. It integrates research institutes, hospitals, insurance companies, and patients.

3  Types of Cloud Computing Software in the Healthcare Industry

Cloud computing is classified into three major types. They include

1.Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS is a cloud solution that allows healthcare businesses to have easy and efficient access to all medical data through on-demand cloud hosting services. This healthcare cloud has helped smaller hospitals. Especially hospitals that desire straightforward solutions where the users may manage the servers themselves because of its fundamental operating technique appropriate. SaaS is ideal for HIE (health information exchange), EHRs (electronic health records systems), and other medical practice management solutions.

2.Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

In IaaS, the supplier offers the IT infrastructure and the operating system, while the customer installations the applications. The “client” here means the Hospitals, and they install all modifications on the available infrastructure and the operating system and data structure.

This cloud solution is suitable for a big hospital with massive and complicated software. However, healthcare providers who opt for this will have no control over the cloud infrastructure but control the OS, data storage, and deployed applications.

3.Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS provides complete control over the cloud environment. Medical companies may create personalized healthcare applications without worrying about the back-end infrastructure's maintenance or configuration.

The supplier provides the IT infrastructure, operating system, applications, and other components as a ready-to-use platform. PaaS is an all-inclusive and rather novel cloud paradigm suited for enterprises with high patient engagement that need rapid access.

Examples of Cloud Computing Services for Healthcare Providers

Below are some cloud computing services that are already positively impacting healthcare positively.

• NetApp offers real-time data delivery. Clinical processes become more efficient, backups become more efficient, and data expansion is better absorbed and adapted.
• Medsphere serves a variety of diagnostic, economic, financial, and medical corporations.
• Nintex is well-known for its ability to streamline document processes, improve the patient experience, and deliver automation services.
• ClearData assists in moving medical data and applications to the cloud and retrieving them over private and secure connections.
• Carecloud software improves healthcare provider productivity and links them directly with patients.

10 Ways Cloud Computing has Transformed the Healthcare Industry

Global Markets Insights, projected that the healthcare cloud will be valued at $79.3 billion by 2027, growing at a 13.4% compound annual growth rate. That clearly shows how cloud computing is revolutionizing the health industry. Here are twelve ways cloud computing is transforming the healthcare industry.

1.Unified Data Management and Archiving

All information is kept in virtual locations, and it is always possible to get information on a certain problem. A private database is accessible to hospital professionals and contains a variety of data. Initially, doctors have to go through volumes of data to treat a patient. It was time-consuming and annoying.

However, with the incorporation of artificial intelligence and machine learning into cloud computing, scanning volumes of complex data is now easier.  The evolution of the medical sector has been accelerated by cloud computing in the healthcare business.

2. Increased Productivity

Data input and storage processes become simpler, more precise, and more organized because everything is in the cloud. Electronic Health Records (EHR) have assisted the health industry to build a collaborative patient care system. A system where authorized staff can log into the database to retrieve and add new information, reducing human-related errors.

3.In-depth Analysis and Research

The health cloud has made it possible to store and retrieve data on any patient-related condition. Let's say a patient displays an odd combination of symptoms that are first difficult to pinpoint. In that instance, it would be simple to digitally extract all of the research that has been done on the relevant symptoms and narrows it down to the most probable match. To establish a precise diagnosis, medical experts might conduct further investigations and testing.

The cloud computing initiative has been an icebreaker for the health industry making it for the expert to conduct research. In addition, the medical team can continuously refine the existing research and upgrade it according to the patient's needs.

4.Improved Remote Collaboration and Patient Care

Cloud data storage has now enabled medical professionals to access it anytime without any bureaucracy. Because of the continuous research, the accuracy of diagnosis has increased and decreased the risk of interpretation. Moreover, retrieving a patient's past medical is now easier done a few years back. 

Complicated bureaucratic procedures are now eliminated in the process of healthcare delivery. Patient care is now faster, payments more effortless and access to insurance is hassle-free.

5.Disaster Management

Cloud computing plays a huge role during disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or pandemics (Covid-19). Activities such as administrative tasks, medical assistance, communication with people on-site, and coordination and collaboration with medical experts are now easy during any disaster. 

6.Access Through Mobile

One of the highlights of cloud computing is that medical experts are able to easily access data through their sophisticated hands-on devices. There are mobile applications where remote staff members can collaborate with remote patients.

Facilities for telemedicine are a benefit and have decreased the distance between patients and physicians. Data recovery is easier, and patient data is more streamlined, thanks to automatic backups and various touchpoints for data storage.

7.Cost-Effectiveness

Server capabilities are often expensive for organizations to create and maintain. The overhead expenses of maintaining data, paperwork, computers, or IT workers are reduced with the use of cloud computing. All of this is taken care of by outside service providers for the medical center.

The service providers, not the healthcare organizations, are responsible for handling any maintenance or scalability issues with these servers and services. There are no longer any upfront costs, and the medical institution merely covers the cost of services. Further cost and time savings are achieved via remote management and issue solutions. All concerns that were previously handled on local networks are now handled in the cloud. Efficiency, savings in time and money, and simple maintenance are the end results.

8.Data Vulnerability Management

All cloud services are required by law to follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Cloud computing that is subject to HIPAA regulations is designed to provide medical institutions with all the advantages of remote data storage while still operating within the set industry-specific regulatory parameters.

Cloud computing in healthcare protects data from manual loss as well as loss through calamities. Digital footprints are simple to trace, thus it would be simple to find if a cybercriminal attempted to access data.

9.Scalability is Easy

The infrastructure, personnel, and patient flow of a medical center will ultimately increase; cloud computing facilitates the hospital to scale up or down as needed. As the company expands it can modify its payment models per its needs thanks to cloud computing.

10.Facilitating the Early Market Entry of Products

The experience of the epidemic demonstrates this transformation. Throughout 2020, Spoedtestcorona was able to design a cross-platform web app to provide safe and inexpensive testing chains in the Netherlands and Belgium. The software reduces face-to-face contact and makes testing secure for patients and medical staff.

Healthcare Institutions That Implement Cloud Computing Solutions

• ABC Clinic, a small primary care clinic, implemented a cloud-based practice management solution, which allowed them to access their patient scheduling, billing, and electronic health records from anywhere with an internet connection. This helped the clinic to improve its efficiency, as it no longer had to rely on a physical office to access patient information.
• DEF Hospital, a large teaching hospital, implemented a cloud-based analytics platform to improve patient data management. The platform allowed the hospital to analyze patient data in real time and identify trends, which helped to improve patient care and streamline operations.
• GHI Medical Group, a large multi-specialty medical group, adopted a cloud-based telemedicine platform to provide remote patient care services. This helped the medical group to improve access to care for patients in remote and underserved areas, and also helped to reduce costs by reducing the need for in-person visits.

Challenges in Implementing  Cloud Computing in the Healthcare Industry

Even with its widespread use in the medical world, there are some concerns that the healthcare cloud evokes. 

Cybersecurity Compliance

Several sensitive medical records are kept and preserved, and cybercrime presents security issues. Cyber-attacks may happen anywhere, even on systems that are hosted in the cloud. Moreover, some healthcare institutions are hesitant to migrate to the cloud because of the stringent compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).

Even though cloud security isn't flawless, it nevertheless provides more security measures than internal IT systems. Healthcare organizations can make sure that no data they store in the cloud is at any more risk of exposure than it would be in their data centers by putting the proper security measures and policies in place.

Reliability

With cloud computing, healthcare organizations give their providers much more control. Every cloud platform eventually suffers downtime, even though every cloud provider aims to maintain a specific level of uptime. Healthcare providers may have a problem with this as they need access to their data all day and night. The whole firm may reach a complete standstill when cloud services are unavailable.

Expertise

The simplicity of the cloud is lovely for individual users, but business users like healthcare organizations can struggle with a more robust cloud solution. Migrating resources from one server to another is easier than moving a whole corporation to the cloud. Inexperienced IT professionals may find it difficult to understand how to configure and test their resources in the cloud throughout the migration process.

The Future of Cloud Healthcare

One potential future development for cloud computing in the healthcare industry is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. With the increasing amount of data being stored in the cloud, healthcare providers can leverage AI and ML to analyze patient data and identify patterns that can improve patient care.

One example of this is the use of AI to analyze medical imaging data. Using cloud-based AI algorithms, radiologists can quickly identify patterns in medical images that may indicate the presence of a disease. This will allow for faster and more accurate diagnoses, improving patient care and reducing the risk of misdiagnosis.

Another potential application of AI in healthcare is using chatbots to provide patients with medical advice. Using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, chatbots can be trained to understand patient questions and provide accurate medical advice. This can help to reduce the burden on healthcare providers and improve patient care access.

Additionally, the cloud can also enable remote healthcare services and telemedicine. By storing patient data in the cloud and providing healthcare providers with secure access to this data, patients can receive care from anywhere, at any time. This is particularly beneficial for patients in remote and underserved areas, who may have limited access to healthcare.

By integrating of AI and ML technologies with cloud computing has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry by improving patient care and streamlining operations. As these technologies continue to advance, healthcare providers can leverage the cloud to analyze patient data, improve diagnoses and treatment, and provide more efficient and effective care.

Conclusion

Cloud computing has transformed the healthcare industry by offering providers access to scalable, accessible, and compliant software and services. This has helped healthcare providers overcome the challenges of non-compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and HITECH. Cloud healthcare provides a connected and collaborative environment for clinicians and patients, which has led to more significant technological advancements, cheaper expenses, improved decision-making, and efficient forecasting.

The healthcare industry has adopted three main types of cloud computing software: Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). These solutions have been implemented by healthcare providers, such as NetApp, Medsphere, Nintex, ClearData, and Carecloud, to streamline clinical processes, improve patient experience, and increase productivity. Overall, cloud computing has dramatically impacted the healthcare industry and will continue to do so in the future.

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