14 Reasons You Should Be a Cloud-Based Practice

Transferring your medical practice to an online system can be an intimidating and overwhelming process. Not only are there multiple practice management systems to choose between, there are many concerns regarding the security and ease of transferring. However, there are numerous benefits to transferring your medical practice to the cloud. Becoming a paperless medical practice will benefit everyone including practice managers, doctors, staff and practice accountants.

Here are 14 of the many reasons you need to move your medical practice to the cloud:

  1. Increase your bottom line — The initial cost of a cloud-based management system is on average around $3,600, while a server-based system can cost as much as $50,000 for the first year.
  2. No server hardware or software to purchase — Therefore, no IT personnel to hire. With no hardware infrastructure to install or maintain, your practice will reduce costs immediately. Long-term savings are realized without the need of Internet Technology (IT) staff.
  3. Smooth conversion — A server-based system acts as a middle-man or holding station where cash flow is interrupted and the reconciliation of bank statements with recorded transactions slows down to a grinding halt. Being in a cloud-based practice managed system eliminates this step and increases progress with speed and efficiency.
  4. Improved support — It is challenging for smaller practices to afford an IT staff to manage security and maintenance issues. A cloud provider provides full-time support as a portion of the monthly fee.
  5. Cost effective for small group practices — A practice managed system in the cloud balances the scales of competition with larger medical groups who many be optimally restricted by their choice of using server-based systems.
  6. Cloud-based operations comply with local regulations — With the security provided by your bank, and encryption methods designed to confuse the smartest of hackers, security is not a worry. However, it is important to make sure your staff is well trained on security measures.  Being in the cloud is like having a full-time IT staff ensuring the practice is compliant at all levels.
  7. Meaningful Use — Moving your data to the cloud places some of the responsibility on the cloud-based vendor. Meaningful use is the usage of certified electronic health record (EHR). EHR is designed to: improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health records, engage patients and family, improve care coordination in light of public health issues, and maintain privacy and security of patient's private information. Resulting in better clinical outcomes, improved population health outcomes, increase transparency and efficiency, empower individuals to take charge of how their health records are managed, and provides stronger research data.
  8. Better Patient Outcomes — With online practice management systems, such as Helix, you achieve better data with deeper insights. This allows you to make stronger evidence-based decisions, leading to better patient outcomes.
  9. Perfect For Physicians Who Do Not Utilize an Office or Who Travel Frequently — Data stored in the cloud can be retrieved anytime, any place. Even when away from the office.
  10. Availability of high-speed internet options make accessing the cloud quick and easy — Cloud-based systems are often faster than server-based systems. It's not only fast, but also exceptionally user-friendly.
  11. Patient information is secure in a proven system — Cloud-based systems, such as Amazon or online banking systems have proven ability to protect private information from hackers. If a breach were to occur, the information would become so encrypted, not even the most astute CIA code breaker could solve that conundrum.
  12. Provides backup and disaster recovery — What if there was a fire, flood, earthquake or some other disaster to recover from? Would you be able to recover your data? Does being a cloud-based business ensure disaster recovery? Yes! In fact, if a disaster were to happen, you may rest assured that cloud-based systems provide regular updates and backups of all data in multiple secured locations. If or when a disaster occurs, you will still be able to access your data from any computer with an internet connection.
  13. Regular updates maintain pace with a vigorous, changing market — Healthcare market data are maintained up-to-date as a part of your monthly fee ensuring your practice of the latest in healthcare information.
  14. Mobility leads to greater flexibility and satisfaction — By its very nature, a cloud-based system is designed to be mobile. The office staff is able to perform tasks anytime, any place resulting in greater efficiency in managing line items. You now have more time you can devote to increasing your business and most importantly, more time to devote to your patients.

So how does one go about moving their data into a cloud-based system?

Contact us when you're ready to discuss some more benefits of a cloud-based paperless medical practice and how to move over. Being in the cloud is the only place to be.