For all the innovations transforming the healthcare industry, one area that remains almost universally behind the times is the use of Information Technology (IT). Many healthcare systems are built on analogue workflows that consist of paper-based medical records, handwritten notes, duplicated test results, non-digitized images and fragmented IT systems. As a result, information remains siloed, which leads to inefficient provision of patient care.

Even some of the best-equipped hospitals in Asia still rely mostly on pager as the primary communications tool for doctors, making coordination of care schedules and other administrative processes cumbersome.  At the same time, consumers and patients have very little view of the coverage plan; with health insurance websites providing very little clarity on computation of health plan costs.

One reason for this slow adoption of advanced IT solutions is the high equipment costs, which usually involves new servers, storage and applications. Moreover, there are high maintenance costs associated with keeping these systems up and running and upgrading software and patches.

As a result, hospital administrators would rather invest their limited financial budgets on new medical equipment or hire additional doctors, specialists and nurses. For smaller private clinics and doctors, the cost of technology is simply too high to even consider the option.

Is there a way to eliminate the high capital expenses while still acquiring the latest IT solutions to improve healthcare services?

Benefits of cloud computing

Cloud computing presents an opportunity for healthcare providers to improve patient care, protect their privacy and mitigate the risks associated with implementing expensive technology.

With the implementation of cloud computing, healthcare professionals across the globe can collaborate in real time and share information without the need to invest in expensive infrastructure. The cloud provides a centralized platform for healthcare professionals to access reports, scans Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and prescriptions, as well as patient information and history such as insurance claims, prescriptions, and lab reports from anywhere in the world. Having a central repository for patient information will mitigate the risks of misdiagnosis or the prescription of the wrong medication, as well as eliminating the chances of conflicting treatments where multiple healthcare professionals are involved.

Cloud computing's pay-per-use model means healthcare providers can leverage the latest software solutions while keeping operating costs to a minimum, covering only the essentials. In addition, with patient data stored in the cloud, health professionals and hospitals will no longer need to invest in storage systems.

Finally, cloud computing fits very nicely with increasingly mobile healthcare professionals who may need to administer service from remote locations. Cloud computing enables physicians to provide better patient care at a lower cost without sacrificing their quality of work and productivity.