Introduction:
Technological advancements that have
been observed in most industry segments are hardly visible in healthcare /
medical segments. Rather it can be said
that technology in healthcare sector has been underutilized. Paper based
medical records and handwritten notes are still being used by business owners
to inform and make decisions. The same can be said for processes such as
consultation, revenue and inventory management. Digitized information, if any
is stored between departments and applications, which make access to patients’
health records and day to day operational procedures complicated and time
consuming. At the same time, the overall healthcare environment is undergoing a
rapid transformation owing to a rising need for providing highest quality
medical services that are economically viable. Hence, it is high time for business
owners to switch over from paper based workflows and embrace new technologies
in order to improve their operational efficiency and quality of patient care.
Amongst the many technologies
available in the market today, one that holds the most potential to improve the
way healthcare is delivered and impacting all stakeholders’ viz., doctors, patients,
insurance companies and government bodies equally is CLOUD COMPUTING.
What is Cloud Computing?
In layman’s terms cloud computing can
be described as services that are hosted over the internet. Cloud is basically
a mix of software, data & intelligence all easily accessible and managed on
the World Wide Web. It facilitates stakeholders to securely access information
that is updated from time to time.
Cloud computing represents the biggest
potential change to the healthcare industry since the computer. Utilizing
healthcare business software through cloud technology facilitates business
owners to focus their efforts on clinically relevant services and enhanced
patient outcomes. What it means is; it would enable seamless access and
management of patient care and information through automation and streamlining
of workflows. Summing it in short, it would create an integrated healthcare
ecosystem that would ultimately aid business owners to go beyond traditional
methods of business management. Moreover, it also eliminates the burden of
infrastructure management by providing easy access to software, while driving
down costs and simplifying technology adoption.
Why Cloud
Computing?
One of the key focuses of business
owners today is to provide patient-centric services. Since we are living in the
information age, patients expect more from business owners in terms of
technology. This has led to an increasing requirement from patients to have
their medical information at their fingertips. Their logic being that while
internet has simplified everything else in their lives why not healthcare? for
eg: gone are the days when people needed to go shopping physically, it is now
very easily done from the confines of their homes or while on the move using
smart phones. Cloud based electronic medical record software can do just that
by enabling patients to access their medical information at their convenience.
Similarly, business owners can consult
with their peers in case of doubt using customized healthcare business software
to exchange medical records of patients’, irrespective of their location using
cloud technology. The same holds true for other aspects associated with day to
day functioning of healthcare organizations such as consultation, revenue and
inventory management etc.
Simply said, opting to utilize cloud
based healthcare business software can drastically simplify these procedures
while offering business owners a tremendous opportunity to enhance the quality
of their services and improve operational efficiency.
Advantages of Healthcare Business Software on
Cloud:
For any new technology to be accepted
by business owners it must offer some benefits. Evidently, health care business
software on cloud offers several advantages over traditional models that would
eventually improve operational efficiency of a healthcare organization. Some
such key yet basic benefits are:-
Easy
access to medical records: In a traditional model, patients are
required to maintain their own records. All medical information is handed over
to patients who are expected to carry the records with them during their next
visit. In such circumstances it is quite possible that patients may misplace
the records or forget to carry them during their next visit. Such scenarios can
be entirely avoided if business owners deploy cloud based healthcare business
software. Cloud based electronic health record software eliminates the need for
paper based information making it easier for patients as well as business
owners.
Collaboration: Time and
again business owners may need to collaborate with each other to reach a
correct diagnosis or outline the right treatment plan for a specific patient. If
at all such situation arises, it is quite likely that collaborators are not in
the same location so sharing of information becomes a hindrance. Cloud based
business software can overcome this hurdle as information can be synchronized
and shared amongst multiple collaborators in real time.
Speed: Information exchange through business
applications delivered using cloud technology is comparatively faster than
traditional methods of information sharing viz., paper based information
wherein information exchange can cause sizable delays or information sharing
through email which can be delayed owing to heavy internet traffic.
Conclusion:
With such obvious benefits, it becomes
necessary that the healthcare industry too catches up with other industries
that are growing leaps and bounds, riding on the back of cloud technology.
Therefore, the need of the hour is for business owners to adopt healthcare
business software driven by cloud technology which would allow them to
accelerate their ability to tackle critical day to day functional challenges,
bring about a radical change in their business models and provide patient-centric
services while minimizing costs.