The vast majority (83 percent) of healthcare providers use cloud-based services currently and many plan on moving more systems and data to the cloud, according to a HIMSS Analytics survey to be presented this week at the Privacy and Security Forum in San Diego.
Of these, half reported upgrading network infrastructure or monitoring capabilities to prepare. Some of the most common cloud services included health information exchange systems, human resources applications and data backup and recovery services. Just 2.4 percent reported using "platform as a service" technology, mostly out of a desire to use packaged software solutions.
About two-thirds of all cloud adopters had challenges, however. These included vendor unwillingness to sign a HIPAA-required business associate agreement, physical and technical security concerns, poor customer service and costs and fees. About half of cloud adopters reported issues post-implementation, including slow responsiveness, but most reported a willingness to work through the issues before changing providers.
All told, just 6 percent of the providers in the survey said they would never use cloud technology.
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