Cloud Computing Helps Disseminate Healthcare Information

Cloud technologies are emerging as an innovative solution to support patient-centric care through efficient capture and distribution of medical information. These are the latest findings of Frost & Sullivan (Frost, Mountain View, CA, USA), an international market research firm.

Healthcare regimes all over the world, and even more so in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) area, are in crisis as a result of diverse challenges including rising healthcare costs, aging populations, dynamic burden of diseases, and increasing demand for accountable care. In response, healthcare stakeholders seek innovative technologies that promise efficient and effective care delivery, and as a result, cloud technologies are rapidly penetrating the healthcare sector as a possible answer to the challenges facing modern healthcare.

Given the versatility of a cloud environment, Frost predicts that cloud will be the single most important enabler of healthcare megatrends of the future, with three major transformations that will be catalyzed by cloud solutions.

Industry vertical clouds, secure cloud environments that allow information sharing amongst all healthcare stakeholders, will develop as a result of the adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs). These vertical clouds will help extract maximum value from digitization of healthcare, delivering efficiencies at all stages of the value chain.

Cloud technologies will also provide the software and infrastructure needed for telemedicine and patient monitoring devices to capture critical physiological data and action it on the fly, so that the time taken to respond to an adverse situation can be minimized. The implications of this advancement are wide, when one considers the volumes spent on critical care and the emotional stress a caregiver must go through when help does not arrive when needed most.

Cloud technologies will play a pivotal role in establishing a seamlessly integrated healthcare market via “consumerization,” using biometric identifiers or even mobile phone data to secure healthcare services, as well providing data collaboration amongst healthcare organizations and also across industries. This collaboration, according to Frost, is a critical component, which is currently missing from the whole healthcare delivery value chain.

“Cloud providers are experimenting with innovative models of collaboration, and their most sought after customers are government organizations investing in healthcare information technology,” said senior Frost analyst Natasha Gulati, Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “Healthcare providers are cognizant of the long term cost benefits of cloud solutions. What they are looking for now, are reliable technology partners who can address their concerns over data privacy and security.”

While many healthcare IT vendors emphasize enhanced security and back-up support provided by cloud technologies, and other industries are rapidly moving to public or hybrid cloud models, healthcare continues to invest in private clouds. Despite this setback, Frost & Sullivan has found that the market for cloud technologies, which included Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings, was worth USD 194.4 million in 2012, and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.3% between 2012 and 2018.

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