The healthcare industry seems to have always lagged their business and education counterparts in a big way when it comes to the use of computing technology. Software developers strive to create the next “killer app” which will solve the most pressing issues for healthcare workers, but widescale adoption is still held back by fundamental issue of access. Deploying desktop computers is a much harder sell for users who spend most of their shift on their feet. The most “killer app” isn’t such a killer if it is not accessible by the people who need to use it.
Flashback to the mid 80s, when desktop PCs were not something you’d see on everyone’s desk. A request for a simple business calculation had to be submitted to IT. Who can forget the days of getting the 30 pounds of green bar paper dropped into your in box 5 business days after requesting it? As soon as the adoption rate of desktop computers hit a critical mass, it is no surprise that Visicalc was one of the first business applications to become “killer”. Employees back then didn’t know enough to ask for a PC, they just knew that they needed their reports faster. At the end of the day, when the technology is accessible and intuitive, it becomes completely transparent to the user.
Software as a Service applications today are providing access to all levels of people within healthcare organizations, no matter where they work. As a result, you are starting to see the most cutting edge technology being used by the least technologically savvy users. A practice which wasn’t advisable even just 5 years ago.
The results from a recent CDW survey indicate that 30% of healthcare IT departments are or will be adopting applications in the cloud in the near future. This puts healthcare as the third most prepared industry for cloud computing. What’s more, 84% of those using cloud computing have already cut application costs by an average of 21%.
There are a couple of pretty big reasons for this. Firstly, all of the major PC manufacturers have turned out a tablet, which drives a lot of innovation. As a result, you are now seeing a powerful, stable and secure system getting down to the footprint of a traditional spiral bound notebook. At the same time, healthcare reform is forcing most facilities to re-prioritize their EMR/EHR efforts if they want to be paid. Given that a lot of the apps in this space are cloud based, it stands to reason that this technology may have finally found its sweet spot with healthcare.
If you are a hospital manager or executive, you might want too see how ready your IT department is in terms of fast and secure access to cloud computing. Then, contact Decision Critical, the software as a service company that delivers a complete set of competency management tools for nurses and your entire healthcare team.
