In this article, it discussed how IBM’s Federal Community Cloud will be allowing healthcare providers like Medicare and Medicaid, to “manage their data and services in scalable data centers that can be quickly accessed by federal organizations at a fraction of the cost.” Cloud computing will be used by federal government clients. This article discussed the many advantages that will be present with healthcare now using IBM’s Federal Community Cloud. “Organizations focused on healthcare have opportunities to consolidate processes, and leverage a common capability that is available in the cloud, rather than creating, hosting, and supporting their own individual redundant capabilities.”
Cloud computing seems to be the new way that data and services are being managed. According to IBM, “cloud computing capabilities can be used by federal health agencies to reduce costs and identify common business processes and requirements that are repeated across agencies.”In an article titled “What Cloud Computing Really Means”, cloud computing is described as “an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet.”
I think that cloud computing is the new way to manage data and services and that over time it will completely take over how we do things. Also, with all the changes in legislation and policies, cloud computing will allow for an easier way to implement the data. It will also result in cheaper cost, and it will cut the time it takes down. Also, it helps “organizations meet government consolidation policies mandated by the Obama administration’s chief information officer.” Cloud computing will make
“IBM said Federal Community Cloud benefits include a secure, private, multi-tenant cloud that meets federal government requirements; flexibility to control technology environments and operation costs to match fluctuations in demand; cost reductions by eliminating the need to own infrastructure or software licenses; faster implementation of development and test environments, application, and web hosting and backup; access to distributed information and advanced analytics solutions via cloud-based applications; and consulting services and infrastructure as a service, with plans to soon add platform as a service and software as a service.”
Not everyone is sold on the idea of cloud computing. Some people feel that instead of helping to reduce the risks involved in it, it is actually increasing them. People feel that it is much easier to get information from a cloud then the normal way. In an article titled “Weighing the Risks of Cloud Computing”, it discusses how there is the risk of losing customer data, and the risk of other people being able to see the information. Also, it discusses the risk of being able to use the cloud efficiently. Also, there is the risk that the “on-demand fees could actually wind up costing a firm more.”
While there are some risks involved in cloud computing, I believe that the pros outweigh the cons, and that it will make things a lot better. Cloud computing will make things easier for federal government clients. It will help companies meet the policy and legislation requirements, and it will make their work go a lot quicker. Medical records will be safe and secure in the cloud. Cloud computing will improve claims processing and will make things a lot better for companies such as Medicare and Medicaid.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/admin-systems/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=KCSAS450S4Q0XQE1GHRSKH4ATMY32JVN?articleID=228200424&pgno=1&queryText=&isPrev=
http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031
http://www.information-management.com/news/cloud_computing_security_risks-10018659-1.html
1 comment:
Cloud computing is clearly where the future is headed in terms of data management. It seems only logical and fitting that the world of medicine would go in the same direction, especially with all of the benefits. The fact that it would reduce costs for storing data electronically, I would imagine, is enough to get some hospitals and companies on board for the project. Cloud computing is secure, it is private, and it meets government regulations, so why not?
I think the most applicable and obvious reason why cloud computing is necessary in medicine is travel. As we talked about in class, if you were to be travelling abroad and were injured, how would the doctor you are seeing know what they need to do? If you personally had posted your medical records in the cloud, such as on Google, that doctor would be able to access your records and know what they could, or could not, do to make you better. As a student at a school where studying abroad is so popular, I think it is a very useful application, and something everyone should think about using.
Some of the other benefits of using the cloud are that there is no centralization, it is cost effective, easy to share over, there is support, and there is security over the network. These are all important, but especially when you think about doctors being able to share information and collaborate with certain ideas, it seems like a good idea. Something like Google docs where people can simultaneously work on a report could be where medicine is headed. I do not know if it is out there in any form yet, but if two doctors (or even an entire team of doctors) could work on the same project at the same time, it could save time and maybe even save lives.
Of course as with anything else there are the issues that have been mentioned in this blog. The major risks that people think about are the idea that somebody could access their medical records or a hospital could lose a patient’s data entirely. These concerns are valid, but as this technology grows older and more refined, I think these issues will slowly go away and cloud computing will become even more secure than it already is. Because right now security seems to be the major concern people have. And it is understandable that people would be hesitant to put their entire medical history into a “cloud”.
I think that part of the problem is that many of the people who may end up having their records in one of these clouds simply do not understand how the whole system works. It is important to educate people, and the doctors, who will be using this system on not only how it will benefit them, but also how it works. I think teaching people how it works along with the many ways it will help them in the event of an emergency will turn a lot of skeptics into believers.
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