Cloud Computing

The hospital has been able to use the Amazon Web Services-based interface engine to send hundreds of millions of messages both internally and externally.

Experts from across health IT, including members of the HL7 board and advisory council, say the new standard can do big things for data exchange, but it's not a cure-all.

As the cloud IT company continues its post-acquisition merger with Virence Health, the consolidation means job losses for some 200 employees.

Frost & Sullivan says the healthcare security space is set for big growth as hospitals recognize new vulnerabilities and vendors innovate their products and pricing models.

And five tenets to understand once you’ve decided to move data into a private, public or hybrid cloud.

Consumer-facing technologies outpaced digital health tools built for practices in the first quarter of this year.

Companies will develop products for health and life sciences sectors.

Three experts discuss how application programming interfaces help enable system interoperability, and describe what the role of APIs will be in the future.

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), set up to improve people’s experience of government services, has set out new requirements as part of a new Secure Cloud strategy, bringing more change around privacy and security policies for all industries including healthcare.  The new requirements demand Australian software companies to complete a compliance process and accreditation before they’re able to roll out third-party services.  The mandatory policy applies to any third-party that uses cloud services to connect with the Department of Human services (DHS) – this encompasses services such as My Health Record, Medicare, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and other forms of care. Macquarie Cloud Services Head of Customer Experience Phil Wallace said the move aims to lift security protecting sensitive health data and payments platforms, which is vital for healthcare as it’s responsible for more mandatory data breach notifications than any other sector. “Because of the sensitive nature of healthcare data, the DHS has always had to meet heightened security standards. The policy has two mandatory requirements, being DHS certification and that cloud providers must use sovereign Australian onshore solutions,” he said.  “Cloud solutions can be complex and distributed by nature. By helping the industry move to new, more secure onshore secure standards, it removes the threat that one link in the healthcare supply chain could compromise sensitive data and payments for all users.”  Wallace said a secure cloud strategy policy puts in place standard processes for organisations to follow, to enable an industry-wide compliance obligation.  “Health technology is complex; products may be subject to a whole range of standards and protocols, some of which are still being defined. Getting the critical area of data storage security right enables organisations to start concentrating on the protocols in their practice.”  Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) CEO Emma Hossack agreed with Wallace, adding that privacy of patient information is critical for healthcare providers.  “In the event that providers are using web-based solutions – and this will become increasingly common – then security of transmission and storage of health information is no longer a nice to have; it is essential. There is no privacy without security,” she said. According to Hossack, associated problems in the healthcare space aren’t to do with software, but rather, how it’s deployed and the security protocols around it.  “It includes allowing multi parties to ‘share’ an individual’s password, which negates the benefit of access logs and weakens security and privacy,” she said.    “This comes down to training; it’s an area which the MSIA will work with the Australian Digital Health Agency on this year to encourage all health organisations to continually train staff on the use of software – both in terms of functionality and security.” Hossack said this move is just the start of improving privacy and security in healthcare.  She suggested that various divisions of healthcare band together to educate the industry about the changes.  “Change takes time. Education about the importance of security for consumers’ privacy by the government and the whole health industry is the best way to overcome the challenge. Education by colleges and other peak bodies like the Practice Managers Association and nursing bodies responsible for accreditation and standards is also key.”  Greenlight ITC CEO Mike Smith said policy is important, but healthcare providers that aim to achieve them on their own, with limited resources and constant change, will find it challenging.  The managed service provider and cloud support partner to software companies servicing the healthcare sector has worked with medical billing experts and other healthcare software companies on compliance. “Many healthcare users face challenges just sustaining current operations in the face of aging assets, rising costs, the war for talent and growing complexity. When healthcare providers partner with local experts for compliant solutions, everybody wins,” Smith said. Smith said there are a number of other initiatives healthcare providers can take. They include:  Keeping abreast of new legislation or changes  Actioning on changes as soon as possible to allow as much time as possible for adjustment      Keeping customers and partners informed of changes throughout  Identifying efficiencies to offset rising costs  Incorporating other requirements like monitoring and backup when teaming up with a partner. “New legislation, constant change and more distributed modes of care are making it harder for practitioners to concentrate on helping people. Organisations should look to offload such compliance and security burdens to specialists, so they can free resources to help more people,” he added.   This article first appeared on Healthcare IT News Australia.

Healthcare organisations are fast adopting hybrid cloud as a result of increasing security and compliance concerns, according to a new study. The Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index identified that hybrid cloud adoption in healthcare is expected to jump from 19 per cent to 37 per cent worldwide in two years, as providers address critical technology needs. The healthcare industry in Australia has been hit with multiple security concerns of late, with the sector topping the list of notifiable data breaches for the fourth consecutive quarter and the number of data breaches involving My Health Record rising year-on-year. The study found that 28 per cent of healthcare respondents named security and compliance as their top decision criterion in choosing where to run workloads. In its attempt to improve its current state, the report revealed that healthcare ranked third in the number of hybrid cloud deployments currently running, by industry. It also found that more than half of the respondents noted inter-cloud application mobility as essential, demonstrating the need for seamless movement of applications and associated data, networking services and security policies between different types of clouds. Nutanix ASEAN, India and ANZ Vice-President Neville Vincent said the ANZ industry is increasingly leaning toward adopting hybrid clouds that combine private and public cloud services as an ageing population, rise in chronic disease and increased health costs mean it’s pertinent for industry to invest in the next generation of infrastructure that preserves quality of care. “Australia and New Zealand have always provided a premier healthcare system for their citizens but… a host of technical and social factors are putting increased pressure on our hospitals and healthcare professionals,” he said. “There is no quick cure for these issues, but investing in next-generation IT infrastructure is the first step in preserving our quality of care and bringing healthcare to the individual rather than the other way around.” Vincent said infrastructure innovations like hybrid cloud allow hospitals to manage different applications and data types, take advantage of automation and create new service lines such as telehealth or remote monitoring, leading to improved patient engagement. [Read more: Hacking humans: The next digital frontier of neobiology and altering the human race | Medical records at Victorian hospital get hacked] Nutanix Global Marketing Senior Vice-President Chris Kozup added that hybrid cloud provides the flexibility, ease of management and security requirements of healthcare and allows for providers to undergo a digital transformation of healthcare delivery. “And this need will only become more prominent as attacks on systems become more advanced, compliance regulations more stringent, and data storage needs more demanding,” he said. “With the cloud giving way to new technologies and tools such as machine learning and automation, we expect to see positive changes leading to better healthcare solutions in the long run.”