5 Biggest Healthcare Challenges That Azure Can Help You Solve

Whether it was the dot-com boom or the latest AI revolution, the healthcare industry is always trying to adopt digital transformation. However, healthcare organizations face several challenges, including complex data management, compliance, and patient care.

Consider these statistics that highlight the industry’s current difficulty:

• Healthcare organizations produce more than 50 petabytes of data annually (according to the World Economic Forum’s report from 2019 – consider where it might have reached today)

• Up to 97% of healthcare data goes unused (missed opportunities for operational excellence)

• Traditional EHR data queries can take days or even months to fulfill due to fragmented systems

• Healthcare faces a critical workforce shortage while managing vast amounts of unstructured data

These data show we need more integrated and intelligent healthcare development solutions. Microsoft Cloud for healthcare can address such challenges.

A strong foundation for the digital transformation of the healthcare sector is provided by Azure through built-in compliance, data integration, AI-powered insights, and much more. But knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.

And that’s when experts like ViitorCloud can be your best partner. Here, we are going to discuss the five biggest challenges healthcare organizations face, how Azure healthcare data services and the broader Microsoft ecosystem can transform your operations, and the role of ViitorCloud as a trusted partner.

Critical Challenges the Healthcare Sector Faces Today

The healthcare industry is facing many challenges as it embarks on its digital transformation journey, such as handling more data, keeping patient information safe, and meeting growing needs without slowing down or making mistakes. Here’s how Azure healthcare solutions can help to address them.

#1. Data Management and Interoperability

Unstructured data in healthcare not only affects the IT operation but also impacts patient care. When clinical teams spend valuable time looking for patient information across multiple disconnected systems, it hampers the care quality and increases operational costs.

The Impact of Data Fragmentation

Traditional healthcare environments typically store different data types in completely separate systems. A simple request like “give me all dental treatment records, prescribed medications, and dental X-rays for patients under 12 diagnosed with early childhood caries in the last 2 years” can take months to fulfil. And our clients have also faced similar challenges within their organizations.

How Azure Health Data Services Solves This

Azure health data services transform this challenge by providing a unified platform built on global open standards like Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine (DICOM).

The platform enables healthcare organizations to:

• Standardize diverse data streams, including clinical, imaging, device, and unstructured data, using FHIR, DICOM, and MedTech services 

• Query complex datasets in minutes instead of months through a unified data architecture 

• Connect disparate health datasets and standardize them in the cloud for seamless access 

With our expertise in system integration & modernization and Azure platform services such as Azure SQL Database, Azure Functions, virtual machines, and Azure Storage, we can create and implement unified data platforms that break down silos and enable real-time insights across previously disconnected systems.

#2. Adoption of AI and Advanced Analytics for Clinical Decision Support 

Just like every other industry, healthcare organizations want to leverage AI and analytics capabilities to gain insights from data (as we mentioned, healthcare generates massive amounts of data). This adoption can transform that data into clinical intelligence. 

The AI Implementation Gap 

While healthcare organizations know the potential of AI to revolutionize patient care, integrating AI solutions with existing workflows is still a challenging process. Healthcare providers need AI tools that enhance decision-making without increasing complexity. So, the technical challenge involves creating AI systems that are both powerful and transparent enough for clinical use. 

Azure’s AI-Powered Healthcare Solutions 

Microsoft Azure provides comprehensive AI and analytics capabilities specifically designed for healthcare workflows.

The platform offers:

• Predictive analytics capabilities that automate clinical tasks and improve patient interactions 

• Microsoft healthcare AI models available in Azure AI Foundry and GitHub 

• Medical imaging AI enhancement through partnerships with Nuance, Microsoft, and NVIDIA to simplify AI model integration into existing clinical applications 

The technical architecture employs AI tools like Azure Machine Learning, Cognitive Services, and OpenAI integration to create predictive models with built-in explainability features. 

#3. Meeting Security, Privacy, and Compliance Standards 

Healthcare organizations have to operate under some of the most stringent regulatory requirements in any industry. HIPAA, GDPR, HITECH Act, and similar regulations create complex compliance standards that can impact the digital transformation efforts (if not addressed properly). 

The Compliance Complexity Challenge 

IBM reports the global average cost of a data breach is $4.45 million, and that average for healthcare is $10.93 million. So, the challenge is to comply with standards and build dynamic systems that are future-ready. 

Azure’s Comprehensive Compliance Framework 

Microsoft Cloud for healthcare addresses these concerns through a multi-layered security architecture designed specifically for protected health information (PHI).

The platform provides: 

• Built-in compliance certifications, including HIPAA, GDPR, HITECH, and CCPA, through Business Associate Agreement (BAA) coverage 

• Advanced threat protection with AI-powered threat detection and monitoring 

• Layered defense mechanisms with Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel for real-time threat monitoring 

Technical implementation by ViitorCloud includes customer-managed keys, private link capabilities, and comprehensive logging features that were not available in earlier Azure API for FHIR offerings. With this enhanced security posture, sensitive workloads can be confidently migrated to the cloud by healthcare organizations. 

#4. Legacy System Modernization and EHR Integration 

The obsolescence of tech systems is among the common challenges in the healthcare industry. Such legacy healthcare systems don’t have scalability, security features, and integration capabilities, but organizations are reluctant to modernize them. 

The Issues with the Legacy System 

Healthcare organizations often operate multiple legacy systems that don’t communicate effectively. And, this leads to duplication of work, higher error rates, and frustrated clinical staff. This challenge becomes more complex when considering the need to maintain 24/7 availability for mission-critical healthcare workloads. 

Azure’s Modernization Strategy 

Azure healthcare solutions provide a modernization approach that addresses legacy system challenges without disrupting critical operations.

The platform allows: 

• EHR integration through SMART on FHIR and deep linking capabilities 

• Cloud-based infrastructure that ensures real-time data access and robust security for existing EHR investments 

• High availability and disaster recovery with compliance standards 

• On-premises data gateway functionality that bridges existing systems with cloud services while maintaining security 

An incremental modernization approach is followed using Azure’s on-premises data gateway, which securely connects legacy systems to cloud services like Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Azure Logic Apps. 

#5. Scaling Infrastructure for Mission-Critical Healthcare Workloads 

Healthcare organizations cannot afford downtime. Patient safety is at risk when EHR systems or critical monitoring systems fail. So, the challenge lies in building infrastructure that scales dynamically while maintaining absolute reliability and performance. 

The Mission-Critical Performance Challenge 

Healthcare workloads demand 99.9%+ uptime while handling unpredictable demand spikes during emergencies, seasonal variations, or public health events. Traditional on-premises infrastructure is incapable of that. And the challenge becomes more complex when considering the need to process real-time patient data and enable seamless collaboration across distributed healthcare teams. 

Azure’s Enterprise-Scale Healthcare Infrastructure 

Microsoft Cloud for healthcare provides enterprise-grade infrastructure specifically designed for mission-critical healthcare workloads.

It delivers: 

• High availability and disaster recovery capabilities with built-in redundancy across multiple data centers 

• Elastic scaling that automatically adjusts resources based on demand 

• Global infrastructure with Azure regions specifically designed to meet healthcare compliance requirements 

• Consumption-based pricing that provides cost transparency and allows organizations to pay only for resources used 

Azure’s global network of data centers with built-in disaster recovery capabilities is leveraged in the technical implementation by experts at ViitorCloud. Multi-region deployments can be implemented to ensure continuity even during major outages or natural disasters.  

Transform Your Healthcare Organization with Our Azure Solutions 

This is just the tip of the iceberg as Azure and the Microsoft ecosystem address several challenges when it comes to the digital transformation journey of a healthcare organization. 

You may have heard L’Oreal’s famous tagline – “Five problems, one solution.” In a similar spirit, Microsoft Cloud for healthcare offers a unified approach to solving the aforementioned five challenges, along with multiple challenges faced by modern healthcare systems. 

However, it demands industry expertise and experience. Our industry-specific solutions and expertise in Microsoft Azure show how organizations across sectors achieve transformational results through strategic cloud implementations. Check our case studies to see how we have helped organizations to turn their challenges into opportunities.  

Contact our experts now to learn how your healthcare organization can benefit from Azure and the Microsoft ecosystem.