How Max Healthcare is Expanding Patient Care in a Hybrid/Multi-Cloud World

Healthcare systems have undergone significant changes after the pandemic. During this time, the workforce of doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff had no other choice but to learn how to work in virtual mode. As easy as it may sound, enabling remote care is not as simple as using routine video calling apps that consumers use on a day-to-day basis. In a hospital, there are multiple stakeholders who need to collaborate. They need access to a whole variety of data, be it patient records, test reports, X-Rays, MRI reports to name a few. All of these need to be made available to all the stakeholders, which is not a simple task. Moreover, since this data needs to be shared outside of the hospital network, security and bandwidth are also extremely critical. 

To enable remote healthcare, hospitals and healthcare providers must gear up their IT infrastructure for virtual mode. This is where technologies like SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) come in. They enable seamless and secure access to various hospital applications so that care givers can serve more patients effectively. We spoke to Prashant Singh, Director & CIO, Max Healthcare to understand how care givers are doing that, the challenges involved, and how technologies like SASE make their job easier. 

Blind Spots in Healthcare IT to Plug

Enabling hybrid mode in healthcare organizations poses several challenges. First, it requires diverse systems and platforms to be integrated and harmonized, which could be both legacy and cloud-based. This can be complex and time-consuming. 

Next, ensuring seamless data exchange and interoperability between on-premises and cloud environments is crucial. Additionally, maintaining data security and privacy becomes more intricate when data is dispersed across multiple locations. Ensuring robust cybersecurity measures and compliance with regulations is vital. 

“There are some disciplines in healthcare that can’t be handled virtually, like dermatology, dental, tertiary medicine, etc. Therefore, healthcare providers must first identify those OPD cases that can be handled virtually.” said Prashant. He further added that addressing blind spots in the IT infrastructure is crucial for hybrid readiness. “This includes evaluating network connectivity, bandwidth, and latency requirements, upgrading hardware and software capabilities, and implementing scalable and resilient architectures to handle increased workloads” he added. 

Besides technology, healthcare providers must also deal with changing the patients’ mindset who till now has been more comfortable interacting with doctors face to face than virtually. 

Unique Requirements of Medical Caregivers

Medical caregivers, including doctors and nurses, have distinct needs as compared to corporate professionals. They require specialized software for electronic health records (EHR) management, clinical decision support systems, and telemedicine capabilities. They rely on medical imaging systems and real-time monitoring tools. 

“Medical caregivers have unique requirements focused on patient care, data management, and streamlined workflows in healthcare settings”, said Prashant. He further added that “from an accessibility and technical standpoint, the IT infrastructure needs to be revamped to ensure smooth communication among all stakeholders without encountering bandwidth issues. Additionally, a secure data transfer platform is required that can handle both structured and non-structured data effectively”. 

Besides doctors, there are other OPD professionals as well who play an important role, like receptionists and administrators. They also need remote access to scheduling and appointment management systems, patient registration and billing software, and efficient communication tools. 

IT Requirements for Contactless Healthcare

Contactless healthcare, telemedicine, and remote patient monitoring are not temporary trends but signify a fundamental shift in healthcare. While there may be decreased numbers in the Indian market, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of these services and showcased their potential in enhancing healthcare access, particularly in rural and remote regions. Remote healthcare services are increasingly preferred for follow-up visits, medication revisions, report reviews, and more.

IT technology enablers must meet specific requirements for effective remote healthcare services. These include robust and secure telecommunication infrastructure, user-friendly and scalable telemedicine platforms, interoperable electronic health records (EHR) systems, advanced data analytics capabilities for remote patient monitoring, and compliance with local regulations and privacy laws to build trust in remote healthcare services.

Singh emphasized “There is a significant need for more robust cybersecurity protocols to provide peace of mind for patients who still have reservations about remote medical services. This will enhance the adoption rate among patients and improve the interaction rate between patients and doctors”.

Cybersecurity Imperatives for Hybrid Medical Networks

Securing a hybrid medical network involves several imperatives. First and foremost, implementing robust access controls and authentication mechanisms is crucial to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive medical data. Employing encryption techniques to protect data in transit and at rest is essential. Regularly patching and updating systems and applications helps address vulnerabilities. 

While sharing personal his experience, Prashant mentioned, “The platforms and software should have more robust endpoint security management both within the network and for external nodes. Regular network and vulnerability patching are crucial to mitigate emerging threats, making SaaS a preferable choice over legacy applications. Organizations should conduct cybersecurity maturity assessments and adopt security standards to evaluate their cybersecurity posture. Employee training is essential to enhance awareness and practices, thereby reducing vulnerabilities at endpoints and user interfaces”.

Thorough risk assessments and penetration testing help identify and mitigate security loopholes. Implementing intrusion detection and prevention systems, robust firewalls, and incident response protocols add extra defense layers. Staff training on cybersecurity best practices is crucial. Technologies like SD-RAN, Zero-Trust evaluation, and DLP (data loss prevention) aid in mitigating cyber and data security concerns.

Modernizing Healthcare IT Infrastructure with SASE

Prashant believes that SASE is the go-to-choice. He added that at Max Healthcare, they have recognized its significance in terms of adoption. “We have already begun our journey by implementing cloud-based SD-RAN and DLP as components of SASE, which effectively handle the excess workload beyond the edge”, he added. 

Healthcare expects Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to drive IT and network infrastructure modernization. It provides a unified and cloud-native solution, integrating wide area networking (WAN) with security functions like secure web gateways, firewall-as-a-service, and zero trust network access.

SASE enables secure access to applications and patient data, facilitating remote healthcare services and improving operational efficiency. Its scalability and flexibility support evolving needs and cloud-based applications. Integrated security features provide robust protection against cyber threats, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of healthcare data.

The article has been written by Sayan Dey, Manager-Research, CMR