No sooner did the doctors rehearse on planning their electronic health record conversion strategy, they quickly understood the various decisions that are overpowering, also the expense appears to be discouraging.
Be that as it may, this transition progress doesn’t need to be as puzzling, expensive and painful as it seems. Numerous small to medium size clinical practices are seeing cloud-based EHR frameworks such as DigiQure as the ideal answer for their clinical needs.
Cloud-based applications has become the new watchword for medicinal services organizations world-wide. The adoption of cloud innovation has been expanding at an exciting pace and, as ongoing research shows, by 2022, the worldwide market for cloud-based web applications in the healthcare industry is expected to reach $35.0 billion⁽¹⁾.
Wait! Cloud-based? What’s that!
When something is stored in the cloud, that means it is stored on internet servers instead of on your computer. It acts like that extra hard-drive that you can access from anywhere and anytime given your computer is connected to the internet.
These cloud-based applications aka web-apps run inside your internet browser and your device only need to stay connected to the internet to have access to the cloud, so that you can retrieve all your important information or the files wherever you go. You never have to worry about losing your important files in case of any computer malfunctioning or your hard-disk getting crashed. Storing files on clouds is a great way to protect your files from accidents, viruses and more.
The best examples of cloud based web-apps are Gmail, Google Drive, OneDrive etc. We make use of one these cloud based tools on a daily basis and you just need a browser to access and communicate with the world using Gmail and can access/add/delete your data from anywhere anytime using Google Drive. Because almost everyone uses mail services it’s very intuitive to relate that with cloud based CMS applications like DigiQure.
The public cloud service market is expected to reach $623.3 billion by 2023 worldwide of which 83% of IT based enterprises already use a cloud service as per Flexera. S&P Global found that 60% of surveyed organizations in India say a majority of their IT-operations will be off-premise (i.e. on clouds) within two years.
And why the sudden hype about this technology?
The reason is simple. If before healthcare institutions were “simple” service providers, today, they’re true technology organizations that depend on their software service providers for clinical, administrative, and financial functions. Probably the greatest challenges of healthcare in India is the high density of doctors in urban areas, while rural and remote areas still face scarcity. Then the crucial times like the COVID-19 crisis that have triggered the immediate need to understand and practice Telemedicine. Times like these have brought in the demand for the doctors to be able to remotely provide care. Telemedicine or Teleconsultation broadly require cloud-based technologies to save the data. And that’s not all, as patient expectations change and new payment models are added to the equation, technology has become decisive to improve patient care, drive efficiency, and eliminate waste.
Experts expect the healthcare cloud computing market to expand exponentially at a compound annual growth rate of 20% exceeding USD15.5 billion by 2024. In 2018, the market hit USD8.5 billion.
Such sophisticated technology sounds ahead of its time and expensive…
In Fact the opposite!
The DigiQure CMS is quite cost-effective in a sense, it saves the payment that gradually spends on maintenance and others. There is no special hardware and separate installation required. It just requires simple signup and internet access to any available system. Auto system updates, license modifications are easy to handle. The upcoming year clearly focuses upon adopting cloud based computing for more convenient and cost effective healthcare services. Cloud computing is set to evolve the way the healthcare industry works. It is going to provide the quickest and easiest access to business applications and customer relationship management.
Since Most of the cloud based web applications runs under a subscription model, healthcare providers can save up money from purchasing expensive systems and equipment. Plus, by adopting a cloud server, healthcare institutions can also reduce costs by using the resources the cloud provider offers.
Word on the data-security.
One of the most widely recognised concerns when discussing the cloud is how secure is it to have all your applications and patient information in a third-party server?
We understands how important it is to have the data on an utterly secured platform and that’s why it practices 256bit encryption by saving all the data on leading cloud service provider like Amazon Web Services. Also the firm IOTA Informatics to which DigiQure belongs, is certified with ISO-27001 which assures complete confidentiality and data integrity for its users. Cloud computing not just permits its clients to get to the data remotely, as it incorporates automation of backups and disaster recovery options. Thus, on account of a breach, doctors don’t lose any important data or information.
So the key benefits of cloud computing
Removes the Need for Hardware and Software Maintenance
The old way required constant upgrades of hardware and software to ensure IT networks could cope with the best computing programs, systems and innovations. Thanks to cloud computing, all you need to do from your end is a device with the internet. You’ll have the very latest technology available at the click of your mouse!
Upgrades are Fast and Frequent
While you had to wait yearly for the new version of a standard on-premise customer relationship management tool, most cloud computing platforms s/as us offer updates on a monthly, or even weekly basis! This ensures your cloud based computing systems are suffering less downtime, and ultimately causing less IT stress. This will support the growth of your business, as opposed to limiting it like the old school options.
Provides a More Cost Effective practice
Cloud based IT services are significantly cheaper than non-cloud based alternatives. You don’t need as much on-site equipment as is traditionally required to store and use data across networks; and With less equipment, the cost of on site maintenance is slashed!
Improved Flexibility and Scalability
With traditional computing, you are locked in to storage capacities through the hardware you buy. By going with cloud based computing services, there is less wasted capacity, and less shortages. Your fluctuating computing demands can be met, whether you need to scale up or down.
Better Business Continuity
- no shortages of on site data storage.
- multiple back ups in case of on site storage failures.
- stored data is not affected by physical on-site issues (i.e. fires, floods, employees etc.).
- no storage downtime associated with maintenance and upgrades.
To conclude with, India is already outshining itself in the global strata of pharmaceutical market. It is apparently a boon above that for the fact that India is expected to witness a tremendous improvement in its public health. So, what we need to think strategically is about the healthcare industry and analyse the dynamics of potential options that cloud technology brings in. DigiQure is a platform that facilitates this technology by bringing about a change in making the healthcare industry digitalised. It would be interesting to bystand all the positive changes we brings in the world of healthcare.