Improved Patient Care through Cloud Service Technology
In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems across the United States have turned to cloud-based data analytics and AI-driven solutions to enhance decision-making, resource management, and patient care.
Providence St. Joseph Health, for instance, has utilised cloud analytics platforms such as Tableau to process and visualise large healthcare datasets. These interactive dashboards have allowed administrators to quickly monitor infection rates, hospital bed availability, and staffing needs, enabling faster identification of trends and more timely responses to patient surges or resource shortages.
Similarly, UC San Diego Health has adopted advanced analytics and AI tools integrated into cloud environments to predict patient risks, such as deterioration of health or likelihood of readmission. This predictive capability has helped clinicians intervene early, reducing emergency visits and readmissions. Cloud-based automation has also streamlined routine workflows like patient scheduling and claims processing, reducing manual errors and enabling clinical staff to focus more on patient care.
These cloud-based analytics solutions have enabled these health systems to:
- Monitor COVID-19 cases and hospital capacity in real time through dashboards.
- Use AI-driven predictive analytics to identify high-risk patients.
- Optimise staffing by analysing patterns and forecasting demand.
- Automate administrative workflows for efficiency.
- Detect anomalies and potential fraud using machine learning.
Such capabilities have improved operational agility and patient outcomes during the crisis, demonstrating the value of cloud-based data analytics in healthcare pandemic responses.
Providence St. Joseph Health partnered with Microsoft in mid-2019 to modernise its IT infrastructure with Azure cloud services. The health system uses several Azure products and services, including Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Databricks, and Power BI for real-time reporting on dashboards.
Luminis Health, based in Maryland, has taken a hybrid cloud approach, operating a private cloud using Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure while adopting public cloud services where it makes strategic sense. The health system has migrated its Oracle enterprise resource planning software to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and is deploying a cloud-based image archiving solution from a provider that will store the images in Google Cloud Platform.
Ron Nolte, Associate CIO of Luminis Health, states that the industry is developing more compelling and reliable cloud options, with vendors becoming more polished and providing more support. He notes that the cloud services offered by various companies have become more feature-rich and secure, making them more attractive to healthcare organisations for migration.
Researchers at UC San Diego Health have developed a machine learning algorithm that analyses chest X-rays and detects pneumonia associated with COVID-19 infections. The new AI algorithm has analysed approximately 50,000 X-rays since its deployment on Amazon Web Services.
The hybrid cloud approach taken by Luminis Health allows for easier data management and cost savings, as seen with the adoption of Microsoft 365 and the migration to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. By adopting a hybrid cloud approach, Luminis Health is able to do more with less, freeing up IT staff to focus on larger projects.
The real-time data dashboards provided by Providence St. Joseph Health have helped frontline caregivers and regional leaders make critical decisions, such as diverting patients, moving ventilators, and determining staffing needs. These insights have been crucial in managing resources effectively during the pandemic.
In conclusion, the adoption of cloud-based data analytics and AI-driven solutions has been instrumental in helping healthcare systems respond effectively to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These technologies have enabled healthcare organisations to make data-driven decisions, optimise resources, and improve patient outcomes. As the industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see further innovations in cloud-based healthcare technology.
[1] Source: McKinsey & Company, "Digital health in a pandemic: Lessons from COVID-19", 2020.
- Science, health-and-wellness, and technology have played critical roles in helping healthcare systems respond effectively to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Cloud-based data analytics and AI-driven solutions have enabled healthcare organizations to make data-driven decisions, optimize resources, and improve patient outcomes, demonstrating the value of these technologies in pandemic responses.
