Cloud computing growing in the health care industry

Cloud based services can benefit businesses in just about any industry. When you consider the cloud's ability to build operational efficiency and facilitate collaboration and streamline processes, it makes sense that it would grow in usage in the health care sector. Any advantage organizations can obtain to improve patient care is worth the investment, and more professionals in the field are finding that they can receive those benefits with the cloud.

As this blog recently pointed out, patient safety is fueling innovation in health care technology infrastructure, which is why solutions like Voice over IP are increasing in popularity among hospitals and doctor's offices. And while VoIP is growing quickly, the cloud's proliferation in the industry might be even greater. According to a new report, the North American cloud computing market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.8 percent between 2013 and 2018, eventually topping out at just under $6.5 billion.

The report details a number of factors that are influencing the cloud's growth. 

"A number of factors such as the legislative reform of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the requirement to demonstrate meaningful use, ICD 10 transition, federal mandates for providing insurance for every U.S. citizen and proliferation of new payment models are driving the growth of this market," the report says. 

As a health care organization, failure to catch on to this trend could put you at a competitive disadvantage and even impact your ability to cater to patient needs in the future. Finding the right cloud services provider will allow you to effectively implement a solution in a manner that benefits your operations and your bottom line.