Healthcare Spending Focuses on Cloud Computing
When healthcare spending comes under fire, many hospitals, clinics, and offices find that investing in cloud computing helps them meet operational goals while also improving healthcare outcomes and reducing costs. In addition, there are some things that can be learned in a crisis that help decision-makers determine how to best focus their spending.
Here are some emerging trends that healthcare spending decision-makers may want to note from crisis observations:
When Hospitals Are Stressed, Information-Sharing Becomes More Challenging. In times when there are quickly-changing patterns of treatment in a healthcare crisis, the passive models of information-sharing become evident. Reactive thinking can be detrimental to patient outcomes.
Treatments Get Pushed Off. When patients fear for their safety, traditional appointments for treatments related to stroke, heart disease, or cancer may be postponed. This will result in an impact on treatment success.
Healthcare Revenues Suffer. A global, national, or regional crisis in which elective procedures are banned, or when hospitals feel compelled to postpone them for safety purposes, can negatively affect hospital revenues. In many cases, these procedures balance out treatments that are less profitable, so many hospitals quickly suffer financial problems when elective procedures are removed.
Assistance Through Cloud Computing
Healthcare facilities have already been pursuing cloud solutions enabling better information sharing. Automated and proactive systems that monitor treatments and outcomes and guide diagnostics become valuable tools. Information is available in real time and helps improve the likelihood of effective treatment.
With its ability to provision data storage and integration for healthcare facilities, cloud computing is ideal for information sharing. The sharing and calculations of data can be easily optimized on cloud solutions.
Cloud computing is also helpful in allowing elective procedures and treatment for cancer and other ongoing ailments to be completed at point-of-care providers. It is no longer necessary that procedures be conducted only at hospitals, particularly if providers can access full diagnostic and treatment information at an off-site clinic or surgery center.
Investment in cloud computing also opens up options like telehealth, allowing providers to check in on patients that may feel unsafe visiting a clinic. These types of services also streamline the schedules of providers, allowing them to see more patients in a given time period.
Even when patients need to be seen in person, better access to consistent patient data allows them to be seen closer to home rather than traveling to a distance healthcare provider.
When healthcare spending focuses on cloud computing, there’s no reason why a crisis should negatively impact patient care. Not only will cloud computing result in improved survivability, but it should serve to reduce the cost of healthcare for the benefit of both the provider and patients.
For information on directing healthcare spending to cloud computing for improved patient outcomes and reduced costs, contact us at One Connect.