Security and privacy<\/h2>\n
Security and privacy have always been one of the big objections that healthcare organisations put forward. However, the success and relative safety around online banking and shopping has meant privacy concerns around the online storage of medical records are fading. Today\u2019s cloud providers employ state-of-the-art military-grade protection to keep data secure; technology likely beyond the reach of a typical hospital.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Data location and ownership<\/h2>\n
Data location and ownership was another challenge. While there are stringent rules around the use of the public cloud for healthcare data, regulations prohibiting its use have gradually been relaxed. Now, we face an open market where healthcare providers have choices as to where and how they manage their data online.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Funding models<\/h2>\n
Funding models are still a big hurdle, and hospitals continue to work on ways by which cloud technologies can be more easily procured. At a recent UK healthcare conference, one NHS Trust spokesperson declared that their IT policy mandated a \u2018cloud-first\u2019 strategy, yet the procurement department would not readily approve cloud purchases. A discussion then followed about \u2018Capex v Opex\u2019 and \u2018VAT v no VAT\u2019 that created an impasse. Until some of these barriers are eliminated, a hospital\u2019s pathway to the cloud can remain blocked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The benefits and advantages<\/strong><\/h2>\nDespite myriad challenges getting the cloud adopted within healthcare facilities, the advantages for transition are as strong, if not stronger, than they have ever been.<\/p>\n
\n- Storage in the cloud is very cost effective<\/li>\n
- Upscaling or downscaling of IT resources (of almost any kind) \u2018on demand\u2019 is quick and easy<\/li>\n
- State-of-the-art system and data protection and disaster recovery are provided<\/li>\n
- Hardware replacement costs are reduced or eliminated<\/li>\n
- The resources to maintain or upgrade on-premise infrastructure are freed up<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Yet, with all of these benefits, there is still one unanswered question thwarting cloud migration and that is..<\/p>\n
How do I do it?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
5 strategic steps to help hospitals migrate data to the cloud<\/strong><\/h2>\nStep 1 \u2013 Focus on data first<\/h2>\n
All too often, hospital leadership teams get tunnel-vision when trying to move their applications to the cloud. Not only is this challenging \u2013 many applications weren\u2019t built with the cloud in mind \u2013 but it\u2019s also the wrong way to think.<\/p>\n
By and large, it\u2019s not the applications that are the strategic asset; it\u2019s the data they contain. So, healthcare organisations should be focusing on moving data before moving applications to the cloud.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Step 2 \u2013 Start with the lowest handing fruit: legacy application data<\/h2>\n
If you plan to use the cloud to host all or most of your patient and administrative data, it\u2019s easy to consider taking the \u2018big bang\u2019 approach and get it all done in one hit.<\/p>\n
Take a deep breath!<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t set yourself up for failure. The cloud is a very different beast than locally owned, on-premise solutions. Start with a trial project. Pick one application, preferably a legacy application, as these are generally the most vulnerable and prone to cyber-attack. Once the data from a legacy application has been moved to the cloud, you can effectively decommission those applications, saving time, costs, and manpower.<\/p>\n
Mistakes will almost certainly be made, but you\u2019ll learn an inordinate amount in the process, which will help you create a blueprint for your future success.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Step 3 \u2013 Consider an Independent Clinical Archive in the cloud<\/h2>\n
Where the data resides and how you access it is an essential consideration. It\u2019s all very well to make the decision to transition to the cloud, but you still need to know\u2026<\/p>\n
\n- Where your data is going to live<\/li>\n
- That it is being looked after properly<\/li>\n
- That it is readily available and accessible to your users<\/li>\n
- That your users have the tools they need to carry out their duties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
One way to satisfy all of the above is to deploy an Independent Clinical Archive.<\/p>\n
BridgeHead\u2019s ICA, HealthStore\u00ae, enables hospitals to easily move live and legacy patient and administrative data to the cloud. By extracting, consolidating, ingesting, indexing, storing, and protecting healthcare data of all types and formats within HealthStore in the cloud, that information can be easily accessed. Typically, this would be through a web portal or through hospital systems, such as the EPR or PACS, to display that data \u2018in patient context\u2019 and provide clinicians with a complete 360-degree patient view.<\/p>\n
HealthStore offers full information lifecycle management capabilities to ensure compliance and governance obligations are met. It also ensures data is stored efficiently and cost-effectively, according to its value. The tool also offers many additional capabilities to meet specific clinical workflows and pathways, such as secure image capture (e.g. for patient-generated data), diagnostic-grade medical image viewing (including on mobile devices), and a timeline of patient encounters.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Step 4 \u2013 Use a reputable cloud vendor<\/h2>\n
There are a number of cloud providers, each of them vying for your attention, so it\u2019s important to research and choose one you can trust.<\/p>\n
Microsoft Azure offers a comprehensive cloud computing service for healthcare. Enabled primarily through Microsoft-managed datacentres, Azure provides integrated cloud services and functionalities across a wide variety of IT provisioning options, such as compute, storage, database, networking, developer tools and other functionality, designed to seamlessly integrate with your healthcare environment and achieve efficiency and scalability.<\/p>\n
Beyond these services, Azure also works in concert with BridgeHead\u2019s Independent Clinical Archive. This provides a central repository for patient and administrative data to ensure data interoperability solutions for healthcare.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Step 5 \u2013 Scale it and share it<\/h2>\n
After you\u2019ve completed your first pilot, you and your team will have garnered a lot of insight, knowledge and experience. You\u2019re then in a great position to apply your learnings to new projects, as well as sharing your new-found skills with others in your organisation.<\/p>\n
Yet, with all of these benefits, there is still one unanswered question thwarting cloud migration and that is..<\/p>\n
How do I do it?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n All too often, hospital leadership teams get tunnel-vision when trying to move their applications to the cloud. Not only is this challenging \u2013 many applications weren\u2019t built with the cloud in mind \u2013 but it\u2019s also the wrong way to think.<\/p>\n By and large, it\u2019s not the applications that are the strategic asset; it\u2019s the data they contain. So, healthcare organisations should be focusing on moving data before moving applications to the cloud.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you plan to use the cloud to host all or most of your patient and administrative data, it\u2019s easy to consider taking the \u2018big bang\u2019 approach and get it all done in one hit.<\/p>\n Take a deep breath!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t set yourself up for failure. The cloud is a very different beast than locally owned, on-premise solutions. Start with a trial project. Pick one application, preferably a legacy application, as these are generally the most vulnerable and prone to cyber-attack. Once the data from a legacy application has been moved to the cloud, you can effectively decommission those applications, saving time, costs, and manpower.<\/p>\n Mistakes will almost certainly be made, but you\u2019ll learn an inordinate amount in the process, which will help you create a blueprint for your future success.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where the data resides and how you access it is an essential consideration. It\u2019s all very well to make the decision to transition to the cloud, but you still need to know\u2026<\/p>\n One way to satisfy all of the above is to deploy an Independent Clinical Archive.<\/p>\n BridgeHead\u2019s ICA, HealthStore\u00ae, enables hospitals to easily move live and legacy patient and administrative data to the cloud. By extracting, consolidating, ingesting, indexing, storing, and protecting healthcare data of all types and formats within HealthStore in the cloud, that information can be easily accessed. Typically, this would be through a web portal or through hospital systems, such as the EPR or PACS, to display that data \u2018in patient context\u2019 and provide clinicians with a complete 360-degree patient view.<\/p>\n HealthStore offers full information lifecycle management capabilities to ensure compliance and governance obligations are met. It also ensures data is stored efficiently and cost-effectively, according to its value. The tool also offers many additional capabilities to meet specific clinical workflows and pathways, such as secure image capture (e.g. for patient-generated data), diagnostic-grade medical image viewing (including on mobile devices), and a timeline of patient encounters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are a number of cloud providers, each of them vying for your attention, so it\u2019s important to research and choose one you can trust.<\/p>\n Microsoft Azure offers a comprehensive cloud computing service for healthcare. Enabled primarily through Microsoft-managed datacentres, Azure provides integrated cloud services and functionalities across a wide variety of IT provisioning options, such as compute, storage, database, networking, developer tools and other functionality, designed to seamlessly integrate with your healthcare environment and achieve efficiency and scalability.<\/p>\n Beyond these services, Azure also works in concert with BridgeHead\u2019s Independent Clinical Archive. This provides a central repository for patient and administrative data to ensure data interoperability solutions for healthcare.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After you\u2019ve completed your first pilot, you and your team will have garnered a lot of insight, knowledge and experience. You\u2019re then in a great position to apply your learnings to new projects, as well as sharing your new-found skills with others in your organisation.<\/p>\n5 strategic steps to help hospitals migrate data to the cloud<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Step 1 \u2013 Focus on data first<\/h2>\n
Step 2 \u2013 Start with the lowest handing fruit: legacy application data<\/h2>\n
Step 3 \u2013 Consider an Independent Clinical Archive in the cloud<\/h2>\n
\n
Step 4 \u2013 Use a reputable cloud vendor<\/h2>\n
Step 5 \u2013 Scale it and share it<\/h2>\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2019\/11\/LinkedIn-Picture--150x150.webp\")
Lucy<\/span> is an Enterprise Channel Manager within our One Commercial Partner organisation a Microsoft. After spending 12 months supporting the Media and Telecommunications industry, she’s now aligned to Healthcare. In this short time at Microsoft, she has already seen how technologies can transform commercial and public sector organisations. It’s evident how our technology, alongside our extensive partner ecosystem, work together to deliver transformative products and services to our customers. Microsoft AI and cloud services are completely changing how\u00a0 organisations operate, and