Healthcare organizations can opt for on-premise or cloud-based storage for their EHR/EMR and other data like images and billing information. Each medical records storage medium has its advantages and drawbacks. However, there’s a rising trend for the adoption of cloud-based EHR among healthcare organizations. A research report by Markets & Markets revealed that the market size for cloud computing in healthcare will rise to $51.9 billion by 2024 from about $23.4 billion in 2019. This represents an annual compound growth rate of 17.2 percent during that period. Here are some of the primary reasons why you should adopt cloud-based EHR in your organization.
1. Improved Access
Users can gain instant access to updated clinical data from different locations. All clinicians can access data, and patients can see their medical history and test results using any device with a web browser.
For practices with multiple sites or connected to health information exchanges, cloud-based data storage enables users to get all the data needed for effective and accurate decision-making.
2. Scalable Computing Resources
The cloud offers providers the ability to build out their EHR to serve a more extensive patient base as their practice grows. If you expect your organization to grow significantly in the next few years, a cloud-based system will be an ideal choice. The storage and computing resources needed to expand the EHR can be acquired with ease at a relatively low cost.
With a cloud-based system, adding new users is quite simple. New users can come on board by signing up for new accounts. There’s no need to configure an on-premise server to accommodate new users.
3. Low Acquisition Costs
With cloud-based EHR, the initial capital expenditure is lower than an in-house deployment. There’s no need to purchase new hardware, a server room, and skilled IT staff to manage it. That means that both acquisition and operational cost is lower for cloud-based EHRs.
All applications and data reside in the cloud. Software updates, backups, and other maintenance tasks are performed at a lower cost than on-premise installations. The EHR vendor and cloud service provider can efficiently perform updates, backups, and repairs without being physically present at your facility.
4. Better Image Handling
Today, many physicians send and receive digital images for patient testing and diagnosis. Sizes of images from MRI scans at a large healthcare facility can run into hundreds of gigabytes monthly. With a cloud service that offers the appropriate bandwidth, transferring and viewing these images is much easier than using in-house servers.
Cloud providers can scale storage services quickly as image data increases at a fraction of the cost of adding a new array of storage disks when initial storage capacity has been exceeded.
5. Higher Speed and Performance
Speed and performance are quite important when dealing with medical records. Physicians need to get a hold of a complete medical history for of a patient without delay. They also have to record fresh data into a patient’s chart for each visit.
Meaningful Use (now called Promoting Interoperability) regulations demand that physicians place electronic orders for lab tests and diagnostic images. To meet these requirements, providers need a stable, high-performance cloud-based EHR service that can meet the ever-increasing need for value-based care and data interoperability.
Set Up Your Medical Records Storage in the Cloud
If you want to set up a new cloud-based EHR or you need to migrate data from your legacy EHR to a new one, MediQuant has the expertise and experience to help you. Contact us now at 844.286.8683 for a free demo or to book a free consultation.