Cloud Computing in Healthcare Industry: How It Changes The Whole Market?

Today, more and more healthcare companies are using digital solutions to process information. Particularly popular is cloud computing, a set of tools for remote workflow management. Experts estimate that the healthcare cloud market will be worth $89.4 billion by 2027, with a projected growth rate of 32% for some categories. This article discusses what is cloud computing in healthcare, the advantages of cloud computing in healthcare, and cloud software capabilities in the healthcare industry.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is a way of storing, processing, and transmitting information using remote servers maintained by IT specialists. Because of this, you can operate large amounts of data without worrying about data leaks or hacking. Instead of installing software on your computer, you can buy cloud access in a dental software program and get several gigabytes of free space securely encrypted with security protocols.

Types of cloud software for healthcare

There are 3 main types of cloud software for healthcare:

• IaaS. It is a service that provides basic computing infrastructure (servers, storage) through system panels or APIs. It is essentially a virtual data center that can run programs or applications. 
• PaaS. It is a service that provides not the environment itself but access to it. PaaS allows you to develop and test applications without deploying a full-fledged computing infrastructure. 
• SaaS. It is a server where a provider hosts its software, allowing users to use it over the Internet. Most SaaS are aimed at the end user and run through a browser without requiring any additional actions.

The cloud can be compared to transportation. IaaS is similar to carsharing: you rent and drive a car, but you are not its owner. PaaS is like a cab: the car is not yours, you are not driving it, but you have the right to choose the route. The SaaS concept is similar to a bus: you are simply driven along a predetermined route with other passengers.

Why do healthcare facilities need cloud computing?

Healthcare organizations have always had to keep a large amount of documentation: utpatient medical records, home-based records, and ambulance call cards. As a rule, all this information was stored in paper archives, which caused a lot of inconvenience. Searching for the necessary documents took a lot of time, and their storage required a separate room.

Many healthcare facilities began to implement automation systems to optimize the accounting procedure. However, using their own servers led to additional costs, and the lack of a unified database prevented institutions from exchanging information to transmit important patient information.

These problems were solved thanks to cloud computing technology and a convenient information environment.

Cloud software capabilities in the healthcare industry

Here are 4 ways how cloud computing can be applied in the healthcare industry.

Maintaining your patient base

One key function of cloud software is creating a personal digital profile for each client. Electronic utpatient medical records can be maintained in the cloud, entering patient data and reducing the time required to fill out documentation. If a person needs to visit another branch of the clinic, he will not have to take the physical patient card with him—it will be available online at the first request of the necessary specialists.

Many countries are developing projects to unite the bases of private and public clinics in order to exchange information faster.

Automatic workload scaling

In recent years, the healthcare industry has faced serious challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical institutions were forced to increase their workload—for example, some laboratories were performing up to 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day. In addition, there was a high demand for lung CT scans along with other types of precision examinations.

Institutions that utilized cloud technology were the best to cope with the workload. Cloud computing allowed for automatic scaling of the system and avoided overloads. Thanks to this, clinics could quickly adapt their computing infrastructure for different types of tasks and utilize the software’s full potential.

Disease diagnosis

Today, more and more physicians are using a medical decision support system, a platform with an IT component that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and data processing technologies. With the help of AI in healthcare, patient complaints can be analyzed more thoroughly, and test results can be compared to make a preliminary diagnosis.

Cloud technologies are also being actively applied in radiology. Many software companies have already moved to the cloud to provide database access to clinics, even in remote areas of the country.

Telemedicine

Online consultation services have doubled in the last three years. They are developed using IaaS platforms, which allow doctors to work with an unlimited number of users from anywhere. According to the Grand Research Review, the global telehealth market was estimated at $101.2 billion in 2023 and will expand by 24% annually from 2024 to 2030.

Advantages of cloud computing in healthcare

Speaking about the advantages of cloud computing in healthcare, it is worth mentioning the following points:

• Data collection, storage, and processing. Cloud provides an opportunity to securely store electronic medical records, test results, and other important patient information. In addition, implementing cloud software helps avoid the costs of installing your own servers. 
• Scalability. Unlike paper-based recordkeeping systems, cloud software allows you to easily increase or decrease the size of your electronic data storage. This is especially useful during busy periods when a healthcare facility needs more space to store information.
• Security. Cloud provides reliable protection of important data, allowing you to make backups that prevent the loss of important information. Experience with cloud programs has shown that they are as secure as traditional storage models.
• Cost reduction. The use of cloud technologies allows medical institutions to save on the purchase of expensive equipment. In addition, by utilizing provider resources, clinics can reduce other cost items such as support staff.

Digital technology plays an important role in the evolution of medicine. This transformation has several key goals. The first is to make health care affordable. The second is to provide accurate and timely diagnosis of diseases. The third is to use deep data analysis to identify the most effective treatments. All these tasks are made possible through the use of cloud-based software in healthcare.

Telemedicine: cloud-based apps case studies

Tools based on augmented reality technology and cloud-based software are well-positioned to take telemedicine to a whole new level, allowing medical professionals to remotely conduct virtual consultations in real-time. This is very relevant for small and geographically remote communities with no diagnostic centers or where consultations with specialized specialists are unavailable. 

With the help of such technologies, the time for diagnostics and for patients to receive qualified medical care, especially in complicated cases, is significantly reduced. A case of successful use of the Dynamics 365 cloud service and HoloLens 2 glasses, as described by Microsoft, can serve as a clear illustration. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the London-based Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which provides emergency and specialized medical care to the public, switched to virtual consultations using this technology for critically ill and bedridden patients suffering from COVID-19. This has made it possible to limit the contact of health workers with infected people and thus strengthen measures to prevent further virus spread.

According to the WHO, an additional 9 million nurses and midwives will be needed to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. Training such a large number of junior and mid-level health workers requires significant financial investment. At the same time, Microsoft-commissioned research shows that implementing cloud-based distance learning combined with augmented reality technologies can save an average of $954 per person on personal protective equipment alone. The sums are quite impressive when recalculating the total number of potential students. In particular, this method of distance learning is already widely used by the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan.

Of course, besides Microsoft, other players in this financially attractive market exist:

• Consensus Cloud Solutions specializes in digitizing paper medical records and developing verified electronic signature systems for specialists.
• Allscripts offers a cloud platform for medical records management, patient interaction, and analytics
• NetApp is developing a distributed system for real-time transmission and processing of clinical data
• ClearDATA has implemented a secure cloud for storing data from examinations and patient records (this company specializes in informatics and medical records management).

Many companies are developing “paperless” medical records (such as Medsphere, Nintex, and Medable), and cloud-based medical statistics and analytics services are actively developing (CareCloud, Athenahealth).

How can the OS-System team help you in healthcare software development?

OS-System is an experienced software development company that improves and enhances innovation and digital projects. We help our clients with digital transformation and their innovation journey. How can we accelerate your healthcare institution:

• We help our clients define the focus of their innovation initiatives and help them achieve a better return on their investments and innovative projects.
• At OS-System, we don’t just talk about great products or customer experiences. We co-create them with our customers.
• We help companies at every stage of the product development cycle. We can assist you with everything from ideation with a prototype to testing a new product or service with an MVP.

By analyzing your institution’s current state, we can propose the best cloud software, rethink, and look for ways to innovate by using technology to your advantage. Contact us now to schedule a meeting. We’ll help you implement cloud computing in medicine!