Cloud computing promises to change the very nature of IT shops and hospitals that will emerge as winners are already turning cloud services into strategic assets.

Some are innovating in ways impossible without the hosted model, such as spinning up servers on Amazon, Google, IBM or Microsoft to run four-week proofs-of-concept for cutting-edge apps that would have been cost-prohibitive if they had to outlay cash for storage and compute resources — and that advantage, in turn, has enabled an ecosystem of startups that couldn’t survive if they had similar capital expenditures. 

Other health systems are subscribing to software-as-a-service applications or moving EHRs wholesale into the cloud.

And while a few short years ago the consensus was not to trust anyone with protected health information and personally-identifiable information subject to HIPAA regulations and penalties, more and more IT executives are coming to an understanding that, if the vendor relationship and contract are managed properly, technology vendors can handle security more effectively than hospitals.  

Applications, innovations and security will be among the themes experts address at the upcoming HIMSS and Healthcare IT News Cloud Computing Forum on March 5 in Las Vegas.

John Halamka, MD, CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — who has predicted that within 5 years hospitals will opt for cloud-based analytics, EHRs and clinical decision support — will host the event.

Halamka kicks things off in the opening keynote with a look at how digital transformation will enable the Quadruple Aim. (For the uninitiated, the Quadruple Aim advances the Triple Aim of better patient care for healthier populations at lower costs by giving clinician satisfaction a leg on the stool.)

The daylong HIMSS18 pre-conference event will also include an industry snapshot of what’s really happening in healthcare by HIMSS Analytics Senior Director of Market Insights Janet King.

It’s a packed agenda with 15 other speakers who will share insights for planning your hospital’s cloud journey, identifying easy wins to enable population health and effective data sharing, a look at how to decide which options are best for your organization and which to avoid, Carolinas HealthCare’s experience moving big software products into the cloud, a look at how Cerner uses the cloud to better leverage data — and that’s just the morning.

Afternoon speakers will look at architecting for HIPAA and implementing security best practices, as well as how putting information in the cloud changes data governance.

Sessions in the ‘Art of the Possible’ track will dive into new consumer-facing apps, advanced analytics and machine learning that the cloud is already enabling.  

As the day draws to a close, Halmaka will take a few minutes to put a forward-looking spin on what’s been discussed and shed insights on the road forward.

The HIMSS and Healthcare IT News Cloud Computing Forum is scheduled for March 5 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Register here. 

Twitter: SullyHIT
Email the writer: tom.sullivan@himssmedia.com