Technology has become a crucial component to healthcare documentation and management. Many benefits come from Electronic Record keeping including productivity increases, greater security measures as the burden of IT being lifted off of the shoulders of clinic staff. One of the most beneficial technology innovations in healthcare is the development of cloud-based technology.

, with new “cloud” technology, comes a lot of questions and concerns. Is it proven?  Is it safe?  We see a lot of misinformation around the Cloud because it is still fairly new in the healthcare industry, even though this type of technology has really been around for a decade now.  Let’s look at a few of those uneasy misconceptions and see if they prove true.

1) Cloud based systems are less secure than traditional server based software making the cloud a much riskier choice for healthcare applications.

This is a common claim, but it’s entirely untrue. Before we begin to debunk this myth, let’s take a look at a recent study on healthcare data breaches. The Department of Health and Human Services recently released data on security breaches and the root cause of such breaches.

The top causes of violations in data breaches were:

1. Physical theft.
2. Physical loss.  

Both of these major security issues are simply alleviated with a cloud based EMR.  Where did hacking and spammer related activities fall?  Last on the list, accounting only for 6% of violations.

Cloud-based Systems have a stake in their own security. Using WebPT as an example, we take the burden of data protection off of the shoulders of our members. This added value to our product also comes with great responsibility. When is the last time that a private practice invested significant money and resources in an audit of their hardware or security?