Many hospitals have health IT systems, including electronic health records (EHRs), that are on the premises or client server, meaning that these are maintained by the health system. But increasingly, health care is following other sectors of the economy into the cloud.
A cloud platform provides an on-demand computer system environment for software applications that is administered by a vendor offsite. Ideally, this platform is unified to deliver seamless functionality and more streamlined and efficient processes and data management. A cloud platform means that users don’t need to switch between applications – and systems and passwords – for greater usability. It also means data from various functions can be more easily organized and integrated for analytical purposes.