Orchard Software understands the unique challenges laboratories and healthcare organizations (HCOs) face surrounding patient security and confidentiality, system reliability, and conscientious spending. To help alleviate these concerns, as an option, Orchard can host your LIS in a secure, reliable, and up-to-date manner in fully redundant, HIPAA-compliant storage centers.
Benefits of a Cloud-based LIS
The mere concept of laboratories trusting that their sensitive patient data is safely stored in a cloud environment may seem at odds with the advanced level of security and industry compliance that is required. The feeling of having less control, along with HIPAA compliance requirements, makes some healthcare leaders hesitant to switch to a cloud-based solution. However, today’s experts agree that moving healthcare services to a cloud provider increases security and system reliability. The healthcare cloud market is maturing and healthcare leadership is shifting its stance of skepticism to one of acceptance of the cloud as a viable and even better IT service delivery model. The reality is that properly managed cloud-based solutions strengthen an HCO’s overall cybersecurity structure with additional layers of security and monitoring.
In addition to increased security, there are two other outstanding benefits to utilizing Orchard Cloud Services. First, laboratories that select a cloud-based LIS obtain a cost-effective solution without the capital layout or expenditure for internal IT staff to maintain and service the infrastructure. A subscription service pricing model levels the cost curve and eliminates cost peaks that occur across time. And, second, a cloud-based LIS increases data redundancy and system availability (or uptime) by automating backups and disaster recovery options. This added data protection means your laboratory does not lose vital patient data and can minimize downtime.
Cost-efficiency Gains
One of the main advantages of cloud computing in healthcare is its cost efficiency. Aforementioned, cloud computing eliminates cost peaks that occur across time (e.g., hardware replacement). This financial arrangement allows organizations to use monies that would be needed to support a robust IT infrastructure in other operational areas. In effect, labs that use a cloud-based LIS obtain a cost-effective solution without the capital layout or expenditure for internal IT staff to maintain and service the infrastructure.
Data Security Improvements
Offloading the bulk of security measures to Orchard makes your data more secure and reduces the burden on your organization’s IT staff. As cybersecurity attacks escalate in frequency and cleverness, it becomes increasingly more difficult to stay up-to-date on the latest phishing and ransomware attacks. These security concerns are handled more easily by a cloud vendor who has security as a number one priority for all of its customers.
System Reliability Enhancement
In a healthcare setting, it is critical to have continual access to systems and data, so it becomes of utmost importance to have high availability, including a failover plan in case of an unexpected instance or disaster. To maintain high availability, a laboratory must have a recovery strategy and server failover options. A cloud-based LIS provides enhanced alternatives for failover options. Cloud providers replicate data in multiple data centers to increase data redundancy and provide a high level of disaster recovery. In the event of a failure, Orchard’s cloud-hosted LIS enables near seamless transfer from one data center to a backup, parallel data center.
Predictable Spending, Better Security, & Reliability
Healthcare’s greater adoption of value-based care and its push toward interoperable systems require that systems are more affordable and agile. The combined challenges that health IT faces today—monitoring systems to achieve optimal performance, minimizing and mitigating ever-growing security risks, and employing and retaining staff with technical expertise—demand flexibility and affordability in information system deployment and ongoing support.
Simplify the Management & Maintenance of Your Orchard Laboratory Information System
All of Orchard’s lab system solutions may be deployed in an Orchard Cloud Services environment. Orchard Cloud Services offer a secure hosting environment for your LIS that simplifies system management and maintenance, and provide a cost-efficient solution to ensure information systems are accessible and secure. Predictable, fixed payments reduce risk and provide a solid return on investment by reducing costs associated with IT overhead, hardware updates, downtime, and disaster recovery. Orchard’s cloud-based LIS helps maintain superior system performance by use of best practices and skilled resources that keep your system up-to-date, and it allows your laboratory to focus on providing quality patient results. As always, we are happy to discuss your individual needs and help you design a deployment and financing solution that works for your specific healthcare facility. For more information, please review our Cloud Services Information Sheet, or contact our sales team at (800) 856-1948 or sales@orchardsoft.com.