KLAS Finds Hospitals Cautious About Public Cloud

Providers are beginning to consider cloud computing in healthcare, but their trust in public cloud options (such as Amazon and Google) is weak, according to a KLAS perception report Path to Cloud Computing Foggy: Perception Study 2011.

In addition to patient data security, two major provider concerns KLAS identified were data privacy and data control.  As a result, a growing number of providers are gravitating toward private clouds, where they could use designated servers and ensure control and security of their data.

Overall, hospitals are taking a cautious, staged approach to adopting the cloud. One CIO of a facility with more than 1,000 beds told KLAS, “I don’t know that there are a ton of major healthcare providers putting their patient data in the (public) cloud right now. From a liability perspective, it isn’t as mature as some other industries. That is a major concern for me right now.”

On the physician practice side, clouds may be a more attractive option. A doctor from a 300 physician clinic told KLAS, “From a standalone practice’s perspective, I am generally scared that I will lose my data. But if it is in the cloud, I know it is more secure. I can see why physicians who have their own practices might all want to use cloud solutions. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about the security of the data on-site in their office.”

KLAS also found stand-alone facilities (mainly physician practices) see cost and security benefits in linking up with larger organizations to obtain an EMR that is privately hosted in that parent organization’s cloud.