ICTpost Health IT Bureau
Much has already been written about cloud computing’s potential and demonstrated successes at helping enterprise IT infrastructures adapt and transform into more efficient and flexible environments. But where does cloud computing fit within health care?
General IT cloud computing environments may not be suitable for many health care applications. As the notion of private cloud computing is catching on, health care must go one step further the formation of hCloud environments that specifically address the security and availability requirements for health care.
Just as cloud computing offers multiple benefits for enterprise computing environments, hCloud provides an infrastructure that allows hospitals, medical practices, insurance companies, and research facilities to tap improved computing resources at lower initial capital outlays, thanks to the on-demand nature of cloud computing. Additionally, hCloud environments will lower the barriers for innovation and modernization of HIT systems and applications.
Mobile Apps
Every great mobile app is backed up by some cloud infrastructure. The two trends of cloud computing and mobile health are inextricably linked: All behind the scenes is the workhorse that powers the app. Mobile uses a lot of backend cloud services. By storing all of its data and computing power in the cloud, a healthcare provider enables staff to have access to information anywhere it wants to make it available. For large institutions, or partnered organizations, that data may be needed in two places at once and can be synchronized and shared in real time.
Healthcare Cloud Revolution
Hospitals and physicians are starting to see cloud-based medical records and medical image archiving services (i.e., open and portable) coming on line from the likes of HP, GE, and Iron Mountain. The objective is to offload a burdensome task from hospital IT departments and allow them to focus on supporting other imperatives such as EMR adoption and improved clinical support systems.
Early successes of cloud-based physician collaboration solutions such as remote video conference physician visits are being trialed. Extending such offerings to a mobile environment for rural telehealth or disaster response is becoming more real with broader wireless broadband and smartphone adoption.
