Optum

Anand Shroff
VP, Product Management
OptumInsight

Healthcare-Exchange

By Anand Shroff

It's no secret that healthcare has historically been slow to adopt the latest and greatest in technology and even slower to embrace technological paradigm shifts, as evidenced by the continued presence of client-server computing in healthcare in the age of the Internet. While strides to catch up have been made in recent years - with shifts toward electronic health records (EHR), advanced health information exchange (HIE), and mobile computing devices - the world of business is changing rapidly, and the industry needs to do a better job of keeping pace.

Cloud computing is one such paradigm shift. Like other advances before it, cloud computing took root with consumers - think Apple's iCloud and Google's Gmail services - and has since triggered a shift in the way enterprises think about doing business. What began as a simple question of whether files could be stored in the cloud quickly shifted to a discussion of whether business processes could be hosted there as well, e.g. Salesforce.com. Now, entire business processes have been moved to the cloud and previously unthinkable workflows are achievable because of private (and public) cloud integrations made possible by secure cloud communications. Salesforce.com has built an entire ecosystem of extended business processes through its force.com platform, which relies on cloud-to-cloud integration.

Healthcare presents unique challenges to cloud infrastructures, operating under some of the most stringent data privacy and security regulations, but that doesn't mean cloud is completely out of reach. As hospitals and health systems continue to adopt technologies to capture data and share it over an increasing number of miles, they'll also need to think about how to store and access that data most efficiently, and cloud solutions could be the answer. Public cloud environments - where information is accessed entirely via the Internet and hosted outside the organization - may be too risky, but private cloud environments, which exist in healthcare today, can offer similar benefits and efficiencies with less risk. It's also possible to take a hybrid approach, which is what I envision will work best in healthcare. For example, consumers could use their OpenID (public cloud technology) to authenticate with providers after passing additional levels of verification (private cloud offering).

Whether or not patients care about cloud, providers will have to care as their EHRs grow, but they aren't the only constituencies that should pay attention. Vendors too will need to consider cloud infrastructures, privacy and security for its hospital customers. They'll need to start with bolstering security, paying close attention to special certifications and solutions available to help instill confidence in cloud. Payers - given that they have such influence on the industry itself - are sure to capitalize on cloud computing as well.

Silicon Valley receives the attention it does for good reason. Whether it is business or consumer facing technology, human lives are transformed by the innovations made here. Healthcare can recognize the benefits of improved agility and efficiency by keeping closer tabs on how its technology industry counterparts are propelling the world forward.