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Sometimes, the hardest part of adapting to new technology doesn’t lie in understanding what it is, but how it could benefit your practice and determining which company is a good fit for your business. The updated HIPPA guidelines have spurred the boom of the electronic medical records (EMR) industry. It is predicted to grow from $3.73 billion in 2015 to $9.48 billion by 2020. With new companies emerging daily, how are you supposed to discover which EMR cloud storage provider is right for your organization without wasting valuable time?

You’ll be able to select a cloud-storage provider in no time by understanding the basics and asking three simple questions.

UNDERSTANDING THE CLOUD

WHAT IS CLOUD STORAGE?

“Cloud” is a term that suggests digital files may be conveniently accessed from anywhere.

HOW DOES CLOUD STORAGE FOR MEDICAL PRACTICES WORK?

The term, “cloud” doesn’t refer to a magical network of information floating around the world. The files are stored on a network of physical servers to process and store information instead of a single computer.

The traditional software platform used by medical practices, “silos” the information. Users must be in the same physical location as the servers and software to access the data. A cloud-based system allows all software and clinical records to be stored, shared, and updated in the cloud.

Many medical practices use cloud-storage for its many benefits including the ability to store patient files, optimize computer system performance, increase interoperability, have mobile data access, and reduce IT and staffing costs.

THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK

1. HOW WILL MY ORGANIZATION USE THE SOFTWARE?

This may seem like a no-brainer, but asking this question will make your selection process much easier by narrowing your options. Your main objective may be to save money and reduce the number of personnel needed at your practice. However, another organization may want to offer patients a more personalized experience at their office. Determine what your goals are before searching for an EMR storage provider.

The main players in the electronic medical records and personal health records (PHR) storage are moving beyond simply offering cloud storage solutions. Don’t fully know what you want in an EMR cloud provider yet? That’s okay. Let’s look at some capabilities provided by companies currently shaping the industry to give you an idea about what is available.

	Box	Athena	No More Clip Board
HIPPA Compliant	X	X	X
Unlimited Storage	X
24/7 technical support	X	X	X
Easy file sharing b/w contractors and partners	X	X
Password protection	X	X	X
SSAE 16 Type II certified	X
Safe Harbor certified	X
Email	X
Comments	X	X
Task List	X	X
Secure info sharing	X	X	X
Offline viewing w/desktop sync	X
Can use on multiple devices	X	X	X
HER homepage		X
Patient charts		X	X
Eporactes in dashboard		X
Meaningful use + quality programs		X	X
Patient message system (text, email, and phone)		X
Live operator service for patients		X
Online patient portal		X	X
Medical billing and practice management		X
Meaningful-use 2 certified		X	X
Common Security Framework (CSF) Certified		X
CAQH CORE Certified			X
Drummond EHR Modular Compliance Certificate (AMBULATORY)			X
Drummond EHR Modular Compliance Certificate (IMPATIENT)			X

Box

Box touts an impressive resume of over 50,000 clients with Mt. Sinai and MD Anderson Cancer Center using its platform. The robust offerings for providers are continually growing. Some of the many benefits of using Box are:

• Unlimited storage
• Easily share large files with external contractors and partners
• Including over 120 files types+HD video, 3D renderings, and DICOM https://www.medology360.com/wp-content/themes/methodology/images
• Comprehensive security for mobile devices
• 24/7 technical support
• Manage content access with password protected links
• SSAE 16 Type II and Safe Harbor certified
• Sophisticated data encryption at-transfer and at-rest
• Get real-time updates with email notifications, comments and tasks
• Share critical information securely and easily
• Access files from multiple types of devices
• View files offline with desktop Sync

Athena

Athena boasts providing an intuitive electronic health records (EHR) system. The company states, “By focusing on clearly summarizing and telling the patient story, not checking boxes, relevant clinical information is communicated to other providers, to the patient (through the patient portal), and even to themselves throughout the EHR, in a way that’s quickly and easily understood.”

Their award-winning software and integrations focus on the best experience for providers and patients. Athena’s cloud services include:

• EHR homepage and patient charts
• Order management and e-scribing
• Epocrates within dashboard
• Meaningful use and quality programs
• Automated patient messaging system with secure text-messaging, email, and phone reminders
• Live operator services for patients
• Online patient portal
• Medical billing and practice management

No More Clip Board

No More Clip Board is a focused PHR engagement company founded in 2003. The company has been an early adopter and involved in meaningful use industry initiatives. While the company has grown through physicians, hospitals, universities, and government entities, it retains its original identity by primarily focusing the product’s development around the patient’s experience.

No More Clip Board offerings are:

• Interoperable, MU2 certified portalsfor all parties involved in the patients’ healthcare
• Patient managed health records
• Secure messaging
2. IS THIS SOFTWARE HIPPA COMPLIANT?

That’s great if the answer is, “yes”. However, being HIPPA compliant doesn’t mean that the information is secure. In January of 2013, the government strengthened patients’ rights and increased providers’ responsibilities. You not only need to provide patients with timely access to their records, but maintain their confidentiality. One way to balance this access to information is to examine the companies’ compliance process. Look for certifications when selecting an EMR company that demonstrate their commitment to protecting private information.

3. HOW DOES THE COMPANY REDUCE HUMAN ERROR?

We know that like many other issues, violating a patient’s privacy right in any form is generally caused by human errors. You must keep in mind that security breaches could come from:

Direct connections

You’re aware of who hires in your organization, but what about the software company you use? What are their hiring standards? What happens if your cloud storage provider goes out of business? The security measures and data encryption put in place are only valuable if the employees accessing it are well-trained, ethical, and detail-oriented individuals. Be sure you know who has access to your patients’ health records.

Indirect connections

Other businesses using the cloud service put your information at risk too. Let’s say an employee at another company clicks on an email and downloads a malicious program or Trojan horse. The virus can spread through their network to the cloud where your files are also stored. Be aware of how your patients’ health records may potentially be at risk, and make a plan with your software company to reduce that risk.

Worst Case Scenarios

What happens if your cloud storage provider goes out of business? Check to see if your provider keeps back-ups of the files. You may want to consider having an additional server to store files on.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

There are many benefits and possibilities when using an EMR cloud-storage provider. However, you need to consider what is best for your practice before selecting a company and implementing their system. It is a typical case of “do not try at home”. It is wise to engage professionals, such as Medology360 to consult for a solution, sometimes, composed of multiple vendors/partners, that is just right for you. You may find the following checklist to helpful to start your search.

CLOUD STORAGE PROVIDER SEARCH CHECKLIST

• Determine what your goals are for using an EMR system.
• Ask how often the software is audited by independent 3rd parties for HIPPA compliance.
• Review your organization’s written HIPPA Privacy Policies and update as necessary
• Ask your software company who has access to your patients’ health information.
• Request to know what the company’s contingency plan is if files are hacked, accidently leaked, or if the company goes out of business.
• Re-vamp your organization’s internal security measures for storing passwords.
• Consider if you may need an additional storage for backing up files.

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