Technology has had significant impacts on many industry sectors over the last decade, none probably as significant as the healthcare industry.
From humble beginnings supporting health administration, technology has evolved to become a driving force in patient care, healthcare data collection, and assisting with medical research and treatment.
Today, healthcare technology enables people to access health services anywhere, by providing tools such as mobile apps that record data from wearable devices to machine learning and artificial intelligence that powers diagnostic software. Healthcare professionals are able to make diagnoses, administer treatments, and create future healthcare plans faster and more efficiently than ever before.
An important part of this evolution of technology is the ability to securely and rapidly communicate important and sensitive data to provide successful patient care. Microsoft 365 helps healthcare providers and organisations deliver customised care that was previously never possible.
Microsoft 365 in healthcare
Microsoft 365 brings together existing familiar Office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, into a powerhouse collaborative and productivity suite that includes SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
Access to Microsoft 365 enables healthcare organisations to provide the best quality patient care, while reducing operational expenses through enhanced and efficient collaboration and communication. With the cloud-based storage capabilities available, Microsoft 365 ensures providers have access to medical records and test results in real-time, anywhere they are working.
Secure and compliant
Medical privacy concerns have been a significant barrier to effective and secure healthcare communication. The healthcare industry is governed by legislation concerning medical privacy and health records access.
Microsoft 365provides a secure platform for transmitting health information, which is critical to ensuring that information is safeguarded in accordance with health privacy regulations.
Microsoft 365 allows healthcare professionals to securely access all related information about a patient as quickly as possible while being assured the data is secured against unauthorised access.
Enhanced communication
Using Microsoft 365, healthcare professionals can access and communicate patient data across health systems and departments rapidly and securely. Digital communication is convenient, but it can also be critical to successfully diagnosing and treating patients, and improving outcomes.
Microsoft 365 is a reliable, cross-platform solution that gives all healthcare workers a seamless way to collaborate and organise patient care. Healthcare workers can utilise Microsoft Teams to communicate and organise patient care procedures across all devices, as well as collaborate with each other in real-time. Every two minutes, recipients of urgent messages will be notified until they respond. When handling issues or communications, a message can be delegated to another staff member, if the original recipient is unable to help or unavailable, ensuring no communication is missed.
In addition to Teams’ existing communication features, sending and sharing images enables quick collaboration on complex or challenging cases. Microsoft Teams comes with a set of built-in security features as part of Microsoft Office 365, which enables organisations to define policies for sharing sensitive information.
Streamlined workflow
Healthcare organisations can utilise Microsoft 365 to set up customised workflow processes. By centralising patient data like medications, care plans, and other information shared by multiple care providers, customised and streamlined workflow processes can be utilised to enhance collaboration among a patient’s primary care team.
The portal can be customised for each user, and administrators can establish protocols to restrict file access to only authorised users, ensuring that only the right people are accessing private and sensitive health information.
Azure API for FHIR
With Microsoft 365, you can take advantage of Azure API for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). Azure API for FHIR enables quick and simple customisation with an application programming interface. Using data from various sources in a secure environment, you can create health solutions using Azure API for FHIR.
Azure allows you to link electronic health records (EHRS) systems and other data sources. You can also organise, share, and prioritise information from a single hub. With protected health data stored in the cloud, Azure provides real-time updates of patient changes through Office apps.
Enhance your healthcare organisation with M365
The experts at Linktech Australia can help you leverage the functionalities of Microsoft 365 for your healthcare organisation. Whether you need assistance putting together M365 solutions to meet your operational demands or improving your current Microsoft 365 subscription, we can assist. Contact the Microsoft consulting partners at Linktech Australia today.