Optimize Roaming Desktop Capabilities
South Carolina hospital switch to virtual desktop platform aids in maintaining security
By Rebecca McCurry, contributing writer
According to an Imprivata report of 300 healthcare IT professionals, “Fewer than 30 percent of healthcare organizations in the U.S. use cloud-based applications and services, but over the next 24 months, the use of cloud computing is expected to increase by 57 percent.” The survey further found three of four respondents use Server Based Computing and over half use Server Hosted Virtual Desktops. Some additional findings include:
- Adoption of cloud-based applications and services in healthcare is increasing more quickly than expected, with 30 percent of respondents indicating that they are using cloud computing today (up from nine percent from the 2012 survey).
- While the use of cloud-based services and applications in healthcare is increasing, 71 percent of healthcare organizations currently using cloud computing work with just one or two vendors.
- For healthcare organizations that have no plans to adopt cloud computing, security remains the primary barrier, but 17 percent cite the top reason as “cloud services vendors do not offer HIPAA Business Associate Agreements.”
Beaufort Memorial Hospital, like many healthcare providers, was faced with the challenge of increasing adoption of EHRs and CPOE while maintaining efficient, secure log-ins. While there are a number of solutions, the Beaufort, SC hospital made the decision to deploy a single sign-on platform called Imprivata OneSign.
Cruxial CIO examined the implementation, noting "Desktop virtualization is growing in healthcare” and - citing the aforementioned Imprivata report - “Of U.S. respondents, 57 percent are using server-hosted virtual desktops and 48 percent have adopted single sign-on.
Cruxial CIO continues, “Before single sign-on, doctors and nurses would need to remember between six and eight passwords and change them every 90 days, according to Edward Ricks, VP and CIO at Beaufort. Doctors log in to their virtual desktops about 50 times a day from various locations in the hospital, Ricks noted.”
Ricks concluded, “These doctors are seeing multiple patients every hour. If they need to stop and enter multiple passwords, it’s a real time drain.”
When practices have the ability to use a single sign-on system, it not only increases productivity, it also reduces the risk of security threats, which is definitely a concern that many healthcare providers have.
Single sign-on is also an excellent way to improve MU. As HIT Consultant explains, "Meaningful Use requires that every healthcare organization comply with privacy and security by conducting a security risk analysis. SSO technology authentication management capabilities can provide a multitude of benefits in assisting healthcare organizations with assessing potential risks to PHI."