Cloud solutions for the healthcare sector

Digitalization in the healthcare sector brings numerous advantages, but there are also considerable reservations, particularly with regard to data privacy and information security. A recent white paper by Swiss Laux Lawyers AG sheds light on the legal aspects of using cloud services in the healthcare sector and uses the example of Switzerland to show that most of the frequently cited concerns do not stand up to close scrutiny.

In general, health data is of course particularly worthy of protection, as it contains sensitive information about a person's state of health, which can cause considerable disadvantages if it is passed on in an uncontrolled manner. This can include, for example, stigmatization, discrimination in the workplace or possible discrimination by insurance companies. The data protection laws in Switzerland and Germany therefore stipulate strict protective measures to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of this data.

In the context of cloud services such as Amazon Web Services, this means that healthcare institutions must ensure that data is also protected by an external service provider such as this. This requires clear contractual agreements on the obligation to follow instructions and appropriate technical and organizational measures.

Use of cloud services in the healthcare sector

Cloud services such as AWS offer the healthcare sector numerous advantages, including cost savings, increased efficiency and greater flexibility of IT systems as well as the ability to focus resources on the core business. Cloud services also enable the development of highly scalable solutions with the highest security standards and the greatest possible reliability.

Sensitive hospital information systems (HIS) represent everyday life in a hospital and must meet strict data protection requirements. These systems offer a wide range of functions that support the entire clinical process. These include electronic patient records, appointment and resource management, laboratory and radiology information systems and billing. Centralized management of this data increases efficiency and improves the quality of patient care. As HIS processes sensitive health data, data privacy and data security are naturally of the utmost importance. Modern HIS systems must comply with strict legal requirements and implement measures to protect data from unauthorized access. This includes encryption technologies, access controls and regular security checks. However, using an HIS in the cloud does not fundamentally change the legal requirements for documentation, storage and information security. Rather, cloud services can often offer better solutions here, particularly with regard to the control and security of data processing. It is important that healthcare institutions contractually ensure that they are bound by instructions and that technical and organizational protective measures are in place.

Omics in the cloud

The analysis of biological and genetic characteristics of patients, known as omics, plays an important role in the individualization of treatments. Cloud services offer enormous advantages here thanks to the ability to efficiently process and analyze large volumes of data. Here too, however, data protection requirements must be strictly adhered to, in particular patient consent and the logging of data processing.

The use of cloud services such as Amazon Web Services for medical devices is also possible, although here too the legal requirements for product safety and quality management do not change as a result of the use of cloud components. The decisive factor is the intended use of the software, which determines whether it is a medical device. However, information security must also be guaranteed in the cloud context.

Reservations and legal solutions

According to the study, the public discussion about cloud services in the healthcare sector is often characterized by misunderstandings. Regularly voiced concerns include medical confidentiality, control over data and the risks posed by subcontractors. However, the white paper shows that these concerns are often unfounded. In fact, healthcare institutions must ensure that medical confidentiality is also maintained in the cloud. This requires clear regulations and control mechanisms, but these can be implemented and can often even lead to greater security.

As far as the alleged loss of control over data in the cloud is concerned, modern cloud services such as AWS offer extensive control options that are often better than those of a local IT infrastructure. However, healthcare institutions must also understand how cloud services work and enter into appropriate contractual agreements in order to retain control.

The use of cloud services often involves the involvement of third party sub-processors. Here too, clear contractual regulations and transparent processes can ensure that data is processed in a secure and controlled manner.

Conclusion

According to the study by Laux Lawyers, the use of cloud services in the healthcare sector makes sense and offers numerous advantages, particularly in terms of efficiency, cost savings and security. On closer inspection, the legal reservations often cited are unfounded in most cases. However, it is crucial that healthcare institutions are aware of the legal requirements and take appropriate measures to ultimately be able to comply with them. In the end, cloud services make a very important contribution to the digitalization and modernization of the healthcare system.

Data Warehousing on AWS

Amazon Redshift, Amazon's petabyte-capable data warehouse, is at the center of the course Data Warehousing on AWS. Participants will learn how to design a cloud-based data warehousing solution from the ground up by collecting, storing and preparing data for analysis. The course demonstrates how to collect data from various sources such as Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon EMR, Amazon Kinesis Firehose and Amazon S3 and prepare it for the data warehouse. The aim is to create a solid basis for data analysis and use. Participants will learn how to configure an Amazon Redshift cluster and select the right size for their data needs. An important aspect of this is understanding the security features available for Amazon Redshift, including encryption and database permissions, to manage data securely and effectively.

In addition to theory, the course places a strong focus on practical application. This includes evaluating data warehouse workloads, implementing AWS data and analytics services, and designing a data warehouse taking into account compression, data distribution and sorting methods.