Researchers: Ensure Management Transparency When Moving To A Cloud-Based EHR

Healthcare providers that plan to use cloud-based services to host their electronic health records should first audit such providers via an external company to help build a relationship of trust, according to a new study published this week in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Doing so, the researchers say, would help to show transparency in the management information process, and would enable a comparison of security terms between several similar companies.

The authors, who say that the cloud computing paradigm is "still under development," also say that patients must preemptively be informed of such data management changes given such uncertainty.

"With the emergence of cloud computing, EHR management systems are facing an important platform shift, but such important changes must be approached carefully," the study's authors say. "In order to make a secure and smooth transition, studying all the security requirements regarding the privacy and confidentiality of patient data are essential."