Speeding Up Healthcare Innovation Leveraging Cloud Technology

Over the past decade, cloud computing has undergone remarkable expansion. The collective revenue generated by AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft surged from $49 billion in 2018 to an astonishing $206 billion in 2022.[i] Projections from Future Market Insights indicate that the revenue from cloud services is poised to maintain an impressive average annual growth rate of 21%, reaching a staggering $4.4 trillion by 2033.[ii] The momentum of the cloud migration wave appears unstoppable, and for good reason. Numerous companies spanning diverse industries have reaped substantial benefits by transitioning to the cloud.

The healthcare industry in the last five years has witnessed a significant acceleration with adopting this transformative trend. Progressive healthcare companies have wholeheartedly embraced cloud technology to expedite innovation, gaining a crucial competitive advantage in the process.

Transforming healthcare through cloud-based surgical data and innovations

Cloud technology’s exponential growth has ushered in a new era of innovation in healthcare, with a particular focus on leveraging cloud-based solutions to revolutionize surgical practices. From large health systems to innovative vendors and governmental initiatives, this article explores the transformative journey, highlighting the positive impact of cloud-based surgical data and its role in accelerating healthcare innovation globally.

“We view our partnerships with leading organizations, like Google Cloud, that share our passion for innovation and continual improvement, as foundational to our efforts.”—Sam Hazen, CEO HCA

Health systems embracing cloud technology

Healthcare leaders worldwide have embraced cloud solutions to enhance their digitization and innovation strategies. In the realm of large health systems, HCA partnered with Google Cloud to accelerate its analytics platform, utilizing AI to process vast clinical and non-clinical data. HCA Healthcare CEO Sam Hazen stated, “we view our partnerships with leading organizations, like Google Cloud, that share our passion for innovation and continual improvement, as foundational to our efforts.”[iii]

The Mayo Clinic’s decade-long collaboration with GCP focuses on leveraging AI and machine learning to advance diagnostics, medical research, and treatment precision. When their journey began, they also shared sentiments of partnering with organizations to streamline digital operations and fostering continued efficiency. ^[iv]

Healthcare technology vendors leveraging AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, recently announced a new EU sovereignty cloud to speed up cloud adoption, especially for those who have the need to protect highly sensitive data in the cloud, like governments or healthcare providers. The company has committed to expanding its capabilities to allow customers to meet their digital sovereignty needs, without compromising on the performance, innovation, security, or scale of the AWS Cloud.

Within the vendor landscape, Cerner, a major EHR vendor, has partnered with AWS on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis, to host its leading Electronic Health Record system, contributing to industry-wide innovation.[v]

“Our customers have seen concrete benefits of utilizing AWS, like reducing operating costs by leveraging the elasticity of the cloud, as well as the reduced impact on carbon footprint and the performance improvement for end users.”—Andrea Fiumicelli, CEO Dedalus

Dedalus, a global healthcare software provider, migrated its EHR system to AWS, reducing costs and environmental impact significantly. According to Andrea Fiumicelli, CEO of Dedalus, “Our customers have seen concrete benefits of utilizing AWS, like reducing operating costs by leveraging the elasticity of the cloud, as well as the reduced impact on carbon footprint and the performance improvement for end users.”[vi]

Healthcare insurers widely adopt cloud technology

In the insurance sectors, Humana, a leading healthcare insurance company, entered a 7-year agreement with Microsoft for cloud services, showcasing the widespread adoption of cloud technologies.

Government support for cloud solutions

Governments globally, including the US, Spain, and Germany, collaborate with leading cloud providers such as T-Systems to establish sovereign clouds, ensuring compliance with regulations and fostering innovation. With T-Systems stating, “The companies will jointly innovate to develop a large spectrum of next-generation sovereign cloud solutions and infrastructure.”[vii]

Governments on a global scale are capitalizing on cloud infrastructure to streamline their operations. Noteworthy examples include the US government’s utilization of GovCloud on AWS and Europe’s sovereign clouds, showcasing collaborative ventures with leading cloud providers.[viii],[ix],[x],[xi],[xii]

Cloud technology’s positive impact on health equity

The cloud’s positive impact extends beyond innovation, touching health equity and patient services. AWS’s Health Equity Initiative supports Kynd, an Australian company aiding people with disabilities, expanding its user base by 335%. [xiii]

Cloud-based video libraries support surgical education

In surgery, cloud technology has transformed collaboration through Caresyntax’s cloud-based telepresence, enabling live video streaming and remote surgical coaching. Surgical videos, stored in the cloud, become valuable assets for AI analysis, exemplified by Japan National Cancer Center’s use of Microsoft Cloud.[xiv]

In a standout illustration, Caresyntax played a pivotal role by offering cutting-edge solutions to facilitate virtual surgical training. The Supporting Surgical Training Virtually: Rethinking the Model white paper meticulously delineates how cloud-based technologies played a pivotal role in expanding surgical collaboration beyond physical boundaries. This ensured the continuity of surgical education and training during challenging times, underscoring the transformative impact of cloud technology on day-to-day healthcare operations and its pivotal role in addressing critical healthcare needs amidst unprecedented global challenges.

Cloud infrastructure, characterized by its scalability, computational power, and accessibility, has become indispensable for the development and deployment of high-performance Gen AI models.

Gen AI advancements and future prospects for healthcare and surgery

The recent advancements in Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) have sparked a significant acceleration in the adoption of cloud technologies across diverse industries, including healthcare. Gen AI, characterized by powerful models like Microsoft ChatGPT, Google Cloud’s Med-PaLM, Meta’s Llama, and AWS’s BedRock, has become a disruptive force driving innovation.

Cloud infrastructure, characterized by its scalability, computational power, and accessibility, has become indispensable for the development and deployment of high-performance Gen AI models. In the context of surgery and healthcare, the fusion of Gen AI with cloud technology is proving to be a catalyst for positive transformations. From revolutionizing surgical practices to enhancing diagnostic precision and personalized treatment recommendations, the seamless integration of Gen AI into the cloud ecosystem promises groundbreaking advancements with far-reaching implications Gen AI Advancements and Future Prospects for Healthcare and Surgery for the future of healthcare. This intersection not only signifies a technical evolution but also heralds a strategic shift, emphasizing the intrinsic interdependence of Gen AI and cloud infrastructure in shaping the trajectory of innovation and progress in the healthcare landscape.

Cloud access removes healthcare boundaries

During the pandemic, healthcare providers across the globe demonstrated ingenuity in harnessing cloud technology. The Catalan Institute of Health, in collaboration with Fujitsu and VMware, spearheaded an initiative that empowered 40,000 health workers with secure remote access.[xv] This innovative approach shattered the constraints of traditional healthcare settings, enabling a more flexible and resilient healthcare workforce.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry—health systems, insurers, vendors, and governments—are all experiencing significant acceleration of innovation, access, sustainability, and quality by leveraging cloud technology.

Caresyntax is on a mission to make surgery smarter and safer by converging AI-powered software, devices, and clinical services to help customers improve surgical outcomes. Our vendor neutral, enterprise-grade surgical intelligence platform delivers actionable insights to improve patient outcomes by using proprietary software and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze large volumes of video, audio, images, device data, clinical and operational data in and around the OR. This real-world evidence can be used by the care team live, during a procedure and accessed by those outside the operating room via the platform’s dedicated telehealth link. After a procedure, the Caresyntax platform provides insights that help surgeons benchmark and improve their care, hospital administrators use surgical resources more efficiently, medical device companies advance better products, and insurance companies understand risk and devise more tailored policies.

To learn more about the benefits of cloud-based healthcare analytics, data, and intelligence to improve clinical, operational, and financial efficiency, subscribe to Smart Surgery.

About the Authors

Ken Wu is the EVP and Chief Technology Officer at Caresyntax, and is responsible for AI, Machine Learning, and Digital Surgery Platform development and operation at Caresyntax. Ken has decades of experience developing and enabling technology across healthcare spectrum encompassing providers, payers, and life science companies. Before joining Caresyntax, Ken was the VP of software engineering at naviHealth responsible for its care transition platform that serves more than 900 hospitals and 30,000 post-acute care facilities. 

Amel Mokrani Bois is the Senior Vice President, Commercial-Europe at Caresyntax GmbH. Amel has a successful track record of over 13+ years in the healthcare technology industry developing, mentoring and managing high performing enterprise sales teams. She held various roles including Head of Sales EMEA at Philips Healthcare leading all strategic growth from pre-sale, delivery to customer experience. Her expertise includes medical device integration, hospital IT systems and C-Suite selling from prior positions at Philips, Capsule Tech, and Qualcomm Life. She graduated cum laude from École Nationale Supérieure de l’Électronique et de ses Applications, France with a degree in Electronics and Bio Sciences. 

References

[i] Who’s #1 in Cloud? Microsoft as Big as AWS and Google Cloud Combined! Acceleration Economy. 8/22/23 https://accelerationeconomy.com/cloud-wars/whos-1-in-cloud-microsoft-as-big-as-aws-and-google-cloud-combined/

[ii] Future Market Insights. Cloud Services Market (2023-2033) Report. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/cloud-services-market

[iii] Mike Millard. Healthcare IT News. HCA enters new partnership with Google Cloud. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hca-enters-new-partnership-google-cloud

[iv] Rebecca Pifer. Healthcare Drive. Mayo Clinic, Google announce 10-year cloud data partnership. https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/mayo-clinic-google-announce-10-year-cloud-data-partnership/562636/

[v] Heather Landi. Fierce Healthcare. Cerner, Amazon Web Services partner on new cloud-based cognitive health platform. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/deal-amazon-web-services-cerner-unveils-new-cloud-based-health-platform

[vi] Dedalus.com. Dedalus Expands Work with AWS as a Strategic Cloud Provider to Transform the Digital Healthcare Ecosystem Globally. https://www.dedalus.com/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2022/12/PR_Dedalus-AWS.pdf

[vii] Liam Tung. ZD Net. Google is building a ‘next-generation’ cloud for Germany. https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-is-building-a-next-generation-cloud-for-germany/

[viii] Amazon Web Services. Case Study: Moderna on AWS. https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/innovators/moderna/

[ix] David Phelan. Forbes. Amazon Helps World Health Organization Launch Covid-19 App 12 Months Early. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidphelan/2020/06/03/amazon-helps-world-health-organization-launch-covid-19-app-12-months-early/?sh=25a9694d45df

[x] Amazon Web Services. Case Study: NSW Health Pathology Delivers over 4.25 Million Test Results Using AWS. https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/nsw-health-pathology-case-study/

[xi] Amazon Web Services. AWS GovCloud (US): Amazon’s Regions designed to host sensitive data, regulated workloads, and address the most stringent U.S. government security and compliance requirements. https://aws.amazon.com/govcloud-us/?whats-new-ess.sort-by=item.additionalFields.postDateTime&whats-new-ess.sort-order=desc

[xii] CISION PR Newswire. Google Cloud Partners With Minsait to Boost Digital Sovereignty in Spain. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/google-cloud-partners-with-minsait-to-boost-digital-sovereignty-in-spain-301447913.html

[xiii] Amazon Web Services. AWS Health Equity Initiative. https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/nonprofits/global-social-impact/health-equity/

[xiv] Microsoft Stories Asia. Microsoft. Transforming surgery with data, AI, and cloud. https://news.microsoft.com/apac/features/transforming-surgery-with-data-ai-and-cloud/

[xv] Fujitsu. How we digitally transformed the frontlines of Spain’s healthcare system. https://corporate-blog.global.fujitsu.com/fgb/2021-01-05/how-we-digitally-transformed-the-frontlines-of-spains-healthcare-system/