Healthcare Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products are service packages that provide healthcare organizations, medical device manufacturers, and pharma companies with a full suite of medical-grade infrastructure solutions, including server space, IT support, cybersecurity, medical-grade cloud, and more. They are distinct from medical Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) solutions in that they do not always come bundled with a medical device and can be used on a variety of different devices.
Software developers within the healthcare industry can use these platforms as a base for their own proprietary applications. Healthcare providers can also purchase healthcare PaaS services to power software solutions for which they lack the necessary internal support. Many healthcare PaaS systems come with pre-made applications that healthcare organizations can install and start using right away, eliminating the need to invest extra time and money up-front.
Benefits of Healthcare PaaS
- Cost savings. With the underlying infrastructure taken care of, medical device manufacturers do not need to develop these services in-house. Since the cost of equipment and labor is shared among all platform subscribers, overall expenses are typically lower under the healthcare PaaS model.
- Simple integration. Healthcare PaaS systems allow medical device manufacturers and healthcare organizations to consolidate information from Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), payroll, human resources, and more depending on their needs. All relevant information can be accessed from a single secured portal, removing many of the barriers to cloud migration in healthcare.
- Easy deployment. Assembling all of the hardware, server space, security and IT talent, etc, needed to maintain in-house infrastructure takes time as well as money. Healthcare PaaS frees up developers’ time so they can focus on innovation over logistics.
- High scalability. Healthcare providers' and manufacturers’ software needs often grow exponentially once they discover the many applications of this technology. Using a connected platform as a service makes expanding software-related healthcare offerings as simple as upgrading their service package.
- Top-class security. Medical data privacy laws like HIPAA require healthcare providers to maintain extremely thorough security measures at all times. Healthcare PaaS products are secured, eliminating a major cost center and source of anxiety for many healthcare providers.
Applications of Healthcare PaaS
- Telemedicine. Healthcare providers can use a healthcare PaaS to enhance the quality of the care they provide to patients outside of office settings, including personalized treatment plans tailored to each patient's individual health data.
- Remote patient monitoring (RPM). Connected medical devices have made it possible to survey patients’ health data in detail from any location. Connected health platforms can be used to store and analyze this data, as well as issue alerts when major data deviations occur.
- Clinical research and PMCF. Healthcare PaaS provides a secure location in which to store and manage the health data generated during clinical research studies. This is especially relevant for remote studies, which are becoming increasingly popular as medical device technology advances.
- Healthcare product development. Healthcare PaaS systems give medical device manufacturers and software developers the infrastructure they need to quickly bring new innovative products to market. This helps get groundbreaking technology into patients' hands when it matters most and speeds up revenue generation for the medical device companies who make these products.
- Post-market follow-up studies. Detailed post-market follow-up studies are required by law for all medical devices (including medical software) deployed within the US, UK, and EU markets. Healthcare PaaS allows manufacturers and developers to easily collect the necessary data from connected medical devices, removing one of the largest barriers to compliance.
