Cloud technology has the potential to transform the way healthcare organizations operate and deliver care. Increasing costs, slower revenue growth, and fierce competition for clinical talent are creating unprecedented challenges for these organizations.
Operating in the cloud can enable health systems to support clinicians with the right data when they need it to enhance patient care, improve outcomes, and increase provider engagement and satisfaction.
At the same time, the cloud enables enterprise solutions that can increase efficiencies, reduce operating costs, and increase security. This is critical for health systems under pressure to cut prices and make healthcare more affordable for employers and their employees, while also facing reimbursement cuts from government programs that don’t cover the full costs of providing care to Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries.
Traditionally, healthcare organizations have built their data storage and electronic infrastructure on-premises. But now, more and more are making the switch to cloud-based technology, taking advantage of the flexibility, scalability, cost savings, and enhanced protection from cyber threats that moving to the cloud supports.
Cloud infrastructure creates “operational efficiency across the entire hospital organization,” says Michelle Flemmings, MD, industry executive director of healthcare and North America cloud infrastructure at Oracle.
With a 30-plus-year medical career, spanning emergency medicine to leadership, Flemmings has seen the gamut of technological inefficiencies in healthcare. Most recently, the move from paper charting to electronic health records (EHR) with computer physician order entry (CPOE) was supposed to make information readily available to clinicians at the point of care. “Going into the CPOE era, that was one of the promises,” Flemmings says. “Unfortunately, with the proliferation of technology functions, we’ve inadvertently hamstrung ourselves.”
Cloud technology is the solution that can finally deliver on the expectations of healthcare executives and clinical leaders, who want to be able to leverage information from across the entire organization to make better operational and clinical decisions. It can also help health systems better support front-line providers, who are dissatisfied with non-clinical charting requirements that take time away from their patients and their personal lives.
“Cloud has the potential to bring just about all of the information available in healthcare face front to the clinician,” says Flemmings. When organizations layer in AI capabilities, the potential to improve clinical decision-making and reduce the administrative burden on providers grows exponentially.
“Think of AI as your best medical consultant standing next to you as you are taking care of a patient with chest pain and a cardiac history in the emergency department, helping with risk stratification and best-practice recommendations, but also capturing information from the EHR,” Flemmings explains.
Another powerful application of cloud technology is streamlining the identification and enrollment of patients in clinical trials. “It’s impossible to keep updated about the numerous clinical trials just in the United States. To pull that information together at the point of care would be phenomenal,” adds Flemmings. For instance, the lengthy process of identifying candidates for clinical trials can be streamlined through AI and occur in the physician’s office.
Pathology results and pertinent clinical history can be cross-referenced with clinical trials that are currently enrolling, allowing physicians to discuss appropriate trials with patients and coordinate the next steps on the spot. It’s an “opportunity that is often times missed,” maintains Flemmings.
The benefits don’t end there. AI-powered patient portal communications and emails can bring us closer to truly personalized healthcare. “Our patients deserve that,” says Flemmings. “I expect that my portal’s going to align all these things and make it easier for me to schedule my appointments and understand my results.”
These expectations of the patient portal are becoming the norm. Research from McKinsey and Company reveals that 60% of U.S. healthcare consumers expect to be able to schedule appointments online. A 2023 survey from Eliciting Insights found that 95% of respondents had either booked a medical appointment online or would if that option was available.
With continual access to appointment scheduling, two-way communication with their doctor and real-time results, patients are more likely to be engaged with their care, leading to improved clinical outcomes.
Health systems are just beginning to explore cloud technology’s potential. Other potential use cases include:
- Reducing no-show rates.
- Automating data analytics.
- Identifying anomalies and healthcare data security risks.
- Running clearance for elective procedures.
- Streamlining prior authorizations.
Challenges and considerations with the healthcare cloud
Workload cloud migration is a significant undertaking. Despite the benefits, many organizations struggle to reconcile moving from their current systems. Any change must be cost-effective. “The cost of care itself and the delivery of that care have gotten exponentially more expensive,” acknowledges Flemmings. Moving to cloud technology all at once may be unrealistic, especially for smaller hospitals.
Besides cost, leaders must consider security and the need to maintain operations through the change. The good news is that though the switch from on-premises databases may seem like a security risk, cloud technology offers more cost-effective security with better capabilities. For instance, AI can “detect anomalies that may give you a heads-up that your system is under attack,” says Flemmings.
For many organizations, the key is to start small. Choose one area for change to solve a specific problem. Get support throughout the organization. Plan ahead to minimize negative impacts on clinical workflows and learn from other organizations that have successfully navigated the change.
Amar Nagaram, associate CIO at IU Health, reports that cloud technology allows organizations to manage a large application ecosystem more efficiently. “It enables cross-platform collaborations at a scale that we couldn’t do if we were to do on-premises,” Nagaram says.
With the cloud, what used to be a cumbersome collection of systems that didn’t communicate has become an integrated tech stack that enhances operations. “It helps support scalable solutions, while providing data security and privacy,” Nagaram notes.
The benefits extend to the consumer side. With secure bidirectional communication, patients no longer must be at a brick-and-mortar clinic to receive care and services.
Migrating a healthcare system to cloud technology has undeniable benefits. With the explosion of tools available to healthcare systems and the addition of AI capabilities, a scalable, flexible infrastructure is more critical than ever.
“If you are not supporting a cloud infrastructure element of your offering, you are not a competitive player in the space at all,” states Nagaram. However, the leap is daunting for healthcare systems that are getting by with existing on-premises infrastructure.
Small changes and pilot programs continue to emerge when it comes to cloud capabilities. “For example, we’re piloting conversational AI to route service desk calls through prioritization models when patient care is being impacted,” reports Nagaram.
And cost savings add up quickly once cloud technology is in place.
“Cloud also has the advantage of faster implementation of new technology and new functionality. Updates are much faster, plus you reduce your cost on the other end of the maintenance of a database,” asserts Flemmings. “With shortages in the workforce, it’s well worth the opportunity to move over toward the cloud little by little and reduce the burden on IT staff.”
“We can monitor everything through the cloud,” says Nagaram. “We couldn’t have done it on-premises. I would have redundant equipment set up in two enterprise data centers. So, it cuts down the physical footprint you have to have, while improving efficiency.”
Cloud technology’s transformative impact on healthcare delivery is undeniable. Despite the challenges associated with migrating systems, healthcare organizations can take small steps to work toward cloud adoption. As they adapt, they will keep pace with technological advances, maintain a competitive edge, lower costs, and improve patient experiences. With cloud technology, the future of healthcare is patient-centered, quality-driven and powered by innovation.
About Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for healthcare
Oracle is a leader in cloud technology with its cloud infrastructure. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) addresses health data needs that span diverse architectures, allowing organizations to move beyond the EHR to an end-to-end platform that enables shared innovation, enhanced patient experiences, and optimized security. Download our eBook to read more about cloud technology and the top five priorities for organizations in 2024, or visit us at Oracle.com to learn more.
