Cloud-based solutions: enhancing efficiency and patient outcomes

Australian-developed, cloud-based solutions have the potential to make digital health more accessible. A software-for-healthcare provider sets out some benefits.

Australian healthcare providers are under growing pressure to deliver high-quality, safe and efficient care amid rising patient demand, driven by an aging population and increasing rates of complex conditions. While digital health is often seen as the solution, implementation remains uneven — metropolitan public hospitals investing in large-scale system upgrades while regional areas may wait years for similar benefits.

Although digital health supporting clinicians is not a hugely new concept, the technology is still not being taken advantage of by the industry. From a lack of confidence to an outdated regulatory environment to experiencing ineffective and cookie-cutter solutions, there’s plenty holding decision-makers back.

Away from public institutions, private health care is also facing financial and competitive pressures, subsequently limiting their capacity to adopt costly, monolithic technologies. There are Australian-built digital solutions available that offer a practical path forward that can ultimately massively boost both care quality and organisational performance; opportunities are plentiful, but a number of things need adjusting to enable our healthcare industry to push on and keep pace with other leading nations.

The problems

‘Greater expectations with fewer resources’: the healthcare industry is not the first to be a victim of this state of affairs. Digital health is often promoted as the solution to these challenges, but in reality, many organisations are struggling to implement systems that deliver real impact. There are a number of reasons as to why this is the case, but of key importance is that healthcare institutions’ key decision-makers lead the charge for digital progress, or at the very least, are open to change; mindset and funding are often cited as the biggest barriers, but others also exist.

Unfortunately, there are some institutions that have been stung with ineffective and ill-fitting digital solutions, which has led to a reluctance to engage in alternative options. Whether these are global solutions that aren’t tailored to our nuanced healthcare system, one-size-fits-all solutions or simply poorly designed applications, these negative experiences can naturally impact future plans. In addition, the technology being developed is outpacing the regulatory environment we are currently operating in, which can present barriers to organisations looking to implement digital solutions.

Public sector

The aim is to improve safety, efficiency and patient outcomes through the implementation of digital solutions; however, there is still a divide between metro and rural institutions and the levels of service they are providing. Technology has the power to bridge this, but it requires a desire for change across the board. Metropolitan health services are replacing legacy systems with new digital platforms, offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redesign data collection and clinical workflows — while rural areas risk being left behind, with some regions facing severe wait times for equivalent upgrades.

The benefits

Private sector

Private providers must compete for patients while being constrained by insurer contracts and rising costs; they need to regularly update infrastructure and services but have limited appetite for costly, monolithic tech investments. Cloud-based, modular platforms offer a way forward, allowing private providers to buy only what they need and scale at their own pace. With the right technology, the private sector can modernise services, stay competitive and respond more quickly to emerging clinical demands.

Addressing clinician burnout: smart automation

Currently, clinicians spend significant time on clerical tasks — searching for information, writing and rewriting notes — and are burdened by these. The consequence of this is that these clinicians are unable to dedicate as much time and energy as they’d like towards complex patient care, further straining already stretched resources and having a negative impact on job satisfaction and their own mental health. Smart digital systems being implemented can automate a lot of these routine tasks and free up clinicians’ time, helping to improve patient care.

Compliance

Some SaaS (software-as-a-service) solutions are built to work with national healthcare frameworks such as My Health Record, while adhering to the Privacy Act 1988 and other Australian data protection laws. Some of these solutions also offer compliance tracking options, which can provide real-time visibility into compliance status across various regulations, affording users peace of mind and a level of automation for what can be a manual-heavy operation.

Policy

The national digital health policy must keep pace with technology to remove additional adoption barriers and should support incremental, scalable transformation rather than enforcing rigid, all-or-nothing system upgrades. There also needs to be a focus on encouraging and rewarding the use of Australian-built solutions as this will strengthen system alignment and compliance with local healthcare needs.

Sustainability

Cloud-based platforms reduce energy and resource demands as they don’t require maintenance, unlike on-premise infrastructure, while also allowing for cost-effective, long-term scalability without repeated investments and upgrades to this infrastructure. Another aspect of the digital option is that it minimises paper-based workflows, which again lowers environmental impact and streamlines data handling.

Leading from the top

If digital tools are integrated properly into effective workflows, they can enable leadership teams to make informed decisions. This drives efficiency, removes manual processes, and improves both clinical outcomes and financial performance. With this, it’s crucial that these digital tools and the approach towards them in any organisation are led from the top — ensuring that sufficient training is provided and full employee buy-in from the outset.

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Key benefits of a cloud-based management system

• Disaster recovery and uptime guarantees. Unlike on-premise systems that can suffer unexpected failures or physical damage, SaaS platforms provide automated backups and disaster recovery plans. With climate change deemed a major risk to critical infrastructure in Australia, cloud-based solutions are less vulnerable to threats like flooding and bushfires. Many also have high uptime guarantees, exceeding 99.9% in some cases, ensuring continuous access to critical applications.
• Advanced cybersecurity protections. Cloud providers invest heavily in security, including multi-factor authentication, encryption and advanced threat detection, helping ensure data remains secure against breaches. So instead of security being all on the healthcare provider — necessitating help from an internal or external expert — moving to an SaaS platform can help achieve better data security and regulatory compliance without the need for constant in-house oversight.
• Reduced IT maintenance costs. With cloud-based systems, hospitals no longer need to maintain physical servers or continuously update outdated software. This reduction in maintenance allows IT teams to focus on more strategic projects — such as patient care initiatives, data analytics and strategic improvements. In other words, moving to an SaaS model allows hospitals to optimise IT resources while maintaining financial flexibility.
• Seamless interoperability. Modern SaaS solutions integrate effortlessly with existing hospital systems, third-party applications and national healthcare databases, improving efficiency and coordination.
• Real-time data sharing. Departments and external providers can access up-to-date patient records, enhancing communication and reducing redundancy in care.
• Automatic updates and futureproofing. SaaS providers continuously update and improve their platforms, so hospitals benefit from the latest innovations without the hassle of major system overhauls.

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*Mathew Cherian is Managing Director of MasterCare.

Top image credit: iStock.com/sturti