It wasn’t long ago that the prevailing thought was that cloud technology wasn’t advanced or secure enough to be used by healthcare facilities. As the cloud has improved in leaps and bounds in both areas over the years, that preconception is quickly becoming a falsehood.

Global market research and analysis company Frost & Sullivan predicts that by 2025, 10 percent of hospitals in the world will have at least started, if not completed, the process to become a full-fledged smart hospital.

What is a Smart Hospital?

A smart hospital functions at the highest possible efficiency – taking advantage of an interconnected series of optimized and automated IT processes to improve all aspects of its operation and even adding the possibility for new patient care procedures.

The technology is already there. The Internet of Things (IoT) already allows for businesses to connect all their devices and exchange data between them. This communication between devices is especially important in health facilities, where confidential information is constantly being relayed and doctors and nurses need to be aware of their patients’ health at all times.

However, the past couple years a new concern has jumped to the forefront of the healthcare industry’s mind. Cybercrime, and particularly ransomware attacks, have been hitting hospitals at an unprecedented rate recently. You have probably seen the higher profile attacks in the news this past year.

This is exactly why a cloud-based electronic health records might be the answer. Practice management software that is designed to increase patient safety, streamline processes and improve communication across departments and care teams helps to alleviate a lot of these concerns.

Other Predictions for the Future of Healthcare Tech

• The “Worldwide Health Industry 2018 Predictions” report from IDC Health Insights suggests that by 2020 one in four large hospitals will be using robotics to handle routine and time-consuming tasks. Automated tasks such as these will prevent mistakes due to human error.
• Patients will have access to 24/7 interaction with their hospital through cloud based devices and apps. An article by Innovatemedtec predicts that IoT will allow patients to avoid unnecessary hospital visits and let those hospitals schedule visits based on need instead of time.
• Forrester predicts that 2018 will be the year that healthcare organizations fully, and finally, adopt the cloud. Demands from patients and consumers for better ease of access and pricing transparency will lead providers to adopting the “enterprise health cloud” (EHC).

For hospitals seeking a strategic and operational partnership with an IT outsourcing resource, contact TOSS C3. We can provide a free assessment to determine your specific needs and best solutions.