By Rex Njoku
As a final year student of Health Care UST MBA cohort 18, I have been challenged with in-depth knowledge regarding the current health care system and the various problems that still exist, such as the rapidly-increasing health care costs, number of uninsured individuals, questionability of the ongoing health care reform, shortage of primary care physicians, etc. The new age of increasing technological advancements, though phenomenal and advantageous, has also brought with it more complexity and problems to resolve, most especially in the health care industry.
A key part of the health care reform involves the use of technology to address a number of health issues such as access, value and cost. Hospitals, if not fully transitioned yet, are now transitioning from paper records to Electronic Medical Records (EMR), a digital and portable version of the medical records used in health care systems that allow storage, retrieval and easy modification of records. To support health reform’s goal of collecting data on providers, determining what treatments are improving outcomes, linking care to payments, determining quality measures, etc., computer support systems are being used everywhere. Increased medical knowledge has brought about more technological advancements in treatment and devices that require computer support. Increases in medical/research data has brought about the need for highly complex computer support systems to analyze and retrieve information. The increase in patient-centric care and social media popularity has also required health care systems and providers to become more technology-savvy. The cloud, social, mobile, consumer, apps, enterprise technologies and more are needed, more than ever, to support these technologies.
The Cloud
Cloud computing enables computers and various other devices in different geographical locations to access shared computer services or applications over the “cloud” or internet rather than a local environment. Cloud technology is at the heart of health care’s transformation and health care industries are now, more than ever, utilizing various cloud technologies.. With tablets and EMRs replacing paper medical charts, private clouds are now being used to access medical records and promote information sharing among medical professionals. Cloud health care services are also currently being used to solve a wide range of health care challenges, such as fraud, remote diagnostics and patient CRM.
Last week I traveled to Moorhead, MN, to attend 
