Healthcare institutions adopt cloud computing, bringing efficient solutions to hospitals, telemedicine start-ups and research labs

The healthcare industry has seen many innovations over recent years. From upgrading infrastructure, to managing patient records, to wearable technology, the healthcare sector has moved ahead in leaps and bounds when developing new services built on cloud computing technologies.

Published by the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA), "Towards Better Patient Outcomes and Staying Well: The Promise of Cloud Computing for the Healthcare Industry" explores 15 case studies showing the different ways in which the healthcare industry has deployed cloud computing to bring multiple benefits to the patients under their care. This report brings deployment stories closer to home, as it focuses on case studies located in Asia, covering both developed and developing markets.

"These case studies pay witness to the tip of the iceberg," says Bernie Trudel, Chairman for the ACCA. "Over the next few years we will see explosive growth in the use of cloud computing as the health care industry transforms digitally and pursues new revenue streams and cost savings."

Cloud computing has been adopted by hospitals to manage hospital administration systems. In Thailand, a hospital moved to the cloud and enabled various users in the hospital to customise and configure to their needs. It has increased the accuracy in medication and test ordering, as well as reduce duplications of X-rays and other imaging. The private cloud that the information system is hosted on is a key part of the solution. Instead of having many in-house IT professionals looking after the systems, the hospital now relies on a company with a high level of expertise to do the job, bringing flexibility and cost savings to the hospital.

The pervasiveness of cloud computing extends beyond large institutions. A telemedicine start-up in the Philippines matches patients with doctors online by leveraging on the shared computing power of cloud technology. This has brought insurmountable benefits to many citizens in the country. More importantly, the service fills a health accessibility gap in the market, especially in rural areas.