Once upon a time, migrating an EHR to the cloud gave healthcare organizations (HCOs) a competitive edge by enhancing security, collaboration, and cost control. But with 83 percent of HCOs now using cloud-based technology, simply moving to the cloud is no longer enough. To thrive in today’s increasingly competitive healthcare market, HCOs need to harness the power of the cloud to fuel innovation.  

But before developing that dream application or tool, it makes sense to begin a digital transformation journey with process and workflow analysis. Using Microsoft Azure’s business process and workflow analysis tools, HCOs can gain valuable insights to enhance adoption, user experience, and value for any innovation they choose to pursue.  

Get more from your cloud-based technology 

As more HCOs adopt cloud-based technology, choosing the right platform can fuel the innovation that patients and providers need. The public cloud offers HCOs several advantages to help fuel innovation, including competitive pricing, rapid scalability, and cutting-edge data security. Migrating your EHR to Azure is an investment in innovation that can help meet organizational goals, such as high-performance remote connectivity to frontline healthcare workers, in weeks instead of months.  

Powered by a flexible, secure cloud platform, developers can easily spin up environments for new applications without crowding the hospital’s servers. Data storage can flex to accommodate new initiatives, giving HCOs more visibility and control over IT costs. By making EHR data available for advanced analytics, tools, and technologies, moving to Azure allows organizations to develop, test, and scale innovations more efficiently than ever before. 

By working closely with Tegria, we are finding many of our customers are able to examine EHR usability and expose root causes around EHR burnout and workflow inefficiencies.

Tyler Bryson, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Health and Public Sector Industries

“We designed Azure Healthcare APIs with flexibility in mind so that our healthcare customers can expand their use of our tools beyond PHI and other clinical data,” said Tyler Bryson, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Health and Public Sector Industries. “By working closely with Tegria, we are finding many of our customers are able to examine EHR usability and expose root causes around EHR burnout and workflow inefficiencies.”  

Key benefits of beginning with process and workflow analysis 

Benefit 1: Revealing key pain points 

Without visibility into the daily tasks involved in patient care or billing, IT staff are limited in their ability to advance innovations that solve real problems. Before tackling the organization’s biggest problems, leaders need to understand what’s driving those problems. Beginning with process and workflow analysis helps organizations identify the inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and gaps contributing to key pain points, allowing leaders to prioritize IT resources more effectively. 

Benefit 2: Defining the “why” 

Uncovering the root causes of problems allows HCOs to approach innovation with a solid understanding of their “why,” instead of chasing innovation for innovation’s sake. “I always say it’s necessary to establish the why,” noted Tegria principal Nick Whichard, a former healthcare CIO, in a recent Q&A for Tegria’s blog. “If you’re innovating, you need to figure out why you are trying to innovate. What problem are you trying to solve for?”  

Benefit 3: Engaging clinical staff from the start 

Analyzing processes and workflows yields another important win for HCOs: the ability to engage physicians and clinical staff from the start. Front-line workers and physician leaders know their workflows, frustrations, and needs better than anyone else. Involving them in the process of analyzing business processes and workflows helps ensure that new tools and technologies solve the problems at hand—and that clinicians and staff will use the tools once they’re developed.  

Migrating to Azure offers flexibility and efficiency to an industry ripe for innovation. Starting with business process and workflow analysis allows HCOs to use this platform’s tremendous potential wisely. 

By defining pain points, clarifying the why, and engaging physician leaders from the start, HCOs can go beyond innovation to create real, meaningful change. 

Ready to begin your own innovation journey with Azure? Let’s talk.