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Heads in the Cloud

By Cate Hayes

The leaders of today’s health care industry pride themselves on advancement and innovation in medicine, yet many practices still hold on to antiquated CDs and DVDs to store patient data. CDs were invented in the 1980s and have been in use for nearly 40 years—even as newer, faster, and more secure technology has advanced. In some cases, medical practices can spend up to $15 per disk. In addition, many computers and laptops no longer support CDs, as companies such as Apple have essentially eliminated CD drives from their machines.

A new campaign, #DitchTheDisk, is advocating for the switch to a universal cloud-based data storage model within the health care industry. By utilizing the cloud, physicians will be able to share medical imaging data efficiently and effectively when communicating with patients.

Morris Panner, JD, is CEO of Ambra Health, a cloud computing company supporting #DitchTheDisk. Panner is a leading proponent of the movement. He believes that this change offers many opportunities for medical information exchange.

“I think it’s going to be a combination of thought leadership from the top of the profession as well as support by industry that’s going to break down the old ways of doing things,” Panner says. “And I think that’s what’s happening as we speak.”

Industry leaders are increasingly in support of this change—a big part of the reason the shift is finally occurring in many practices. Previously, there had been some reluctance, in that the industry is largely peer review driven. By and large, physicians “don’t [necessarily] want to be the first one out there with something,” Panner says. However, “When the top of the profession comes out and says, ‘This is a priority, and we believe in it,’ that carries a lot of weight.” Health care providers can readily embrace the idea that a cloud-based model is more beneficial to both them and their patients.

More With Less
Easy access to medical information for the patient and high-speed uploading and sharing between concerned parties are just some of the benefits that the cloud has to offer. In addition, the cloud’s virtual nature is less expensive and takes up much less physical space than archiving CDs.

“In terms of downsides, I think there are none,” Panner says. “[But] there’s a perception that somehow maybe it’s less secure. I don’t believe that, but I think it’s important to take that head-on.”

One of the efforts of the campaign is to educate health care providers on the security features of the cloud, so they can reassure their patients that their privacy is protected. The cloud is, in a way, more secure than CDs; a CD can easily be lost or stolen, whereas a file on the cloud will remain protected by authentication precautions. Other industries, eg, banking, have successfully made accounts available, yet secure, online. This success has shown the health care industry that, with the right verification and security, medical data can also be shared with patients electronically.

Panner, when asked how the cloud can ensure patient privacy, is enthusiastic. “For many people, their credit card information is probably a more nerve-wracking piece of information than health care data. Even if [someone is] dealing with a chronic condition and knows that it’s going to be sensitive, I’m confident that people will treat it securely.”

To optimize the use of the cloud and effectively eliminate CDs from medical imaging practices, the transition must be widespread. Panner says patients will be increasingly drawn to a combination of accessibility and security, both of which the cloud offers. By ditching those outdated disks, practices will ensure that their innovation in medicine and technology reaches all aspects of patient care.

— Cate Hayes is an editorial intern at Great Valley Publishing.