What is Salesforce health cloud: Features, Implementation, and Limitations

Posted in Cloud in healthcare

Hospitals grapple with patient data management, which often hinders health journeys. In fact, 72% of hospitals report struggling with patient data gaps, which can lead to fragmented care and missed opportunities for intervention. While EMR systems work best for clinical documentation and workflows, Salesforce Health Cloud offers a unified platform that enhances and extends the capabilities of existing systems like Epic, Cerner, and AthenaHealth, whichever you use.

Unlike traditional EMRs, which are primarily focused on clinical data, Health Cloud excels at building stronger patient relationships through personalized engagement and a comprehensive 360-degree view of the patient. Its superior interoperability facilitates seamless data exchange with other healthcare technologies, while its flexible platform allows for greater customization to specific organizational needs. Health Cloud offers advanced tools for care coordination, AI-powered insights for proactive care, and user-friendly mobile and patient engagement features. Let’s take a look further. 

What is Salesforce Health Cloud?

Salesforce Health Cloud is a powerful CRM platform for healthcare. This innovative cloud-based solution centralizes patient data, providing doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals with a comprehensive, 360-degree view of patient records. By integrating disconnected systems, Salesforce Health Cloud enables your team to deliver more effective and personalized treatments, improving patient outcomes.

As a leading Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution for healthcare, Salesforce Health Cloud leverages cutting-edge cloud technology to provide all stakeholders, from physicians to administrative staff, with real-time access to critical patient information. This includes medical history, medication records, appointment scheduling, and more. Seamless integration with existing Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other healthcare applications makes Health Cloud Salesforce an indispensable tool in the modern US medical care system.

Why is Salesforce Health Cloud the Best for Telemedicine?

Healthcare organizations are looking towards Salesforce for telemedicine software development as it is far more efficient and accurate than most other versions being developed. Sales force health cloud delivers information much faster from one user to another, reducing the communication gap between the parties involved.

Salesforce Health Cloud is a user-friendly platform that helps individuals manage their overall well-being. In addition to providing valuable health advice, it ensures strict compliance with HIPAA regulations through its healthcare compliance consulting services, protecting patient data from privacy breaches.

Why Salesforce Health Cloud Is a Smart Choice for Healthcare Organizations

From managing vast amounts of patient data to coordinating care across multiple teams, the challenges are only growing. Salesforce Health Cloud helps healthcare organizations tackle these issues by providing a complete view of each patient, improving workflows, and making it easier to track and measure outcomes.

Sales Force Health Cloud is built for:

• Healthcare providers include hospitals, physician practices, urgent care centers, and ambulatory services.
• Health insurance companies and government payers.
• Pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
• Clinical research organizations and biotech firms.

With Salesforce Health Cloud, your organization can benefit from a 360-degree view of the patient, real-time collaboration between multiple care teams, and strong healthcare analytics to track outcomes and optimize operations. These tools enable organizations to boost patient satisfaction, reduce costs, and improve clinical outcomes.

Salesforce Health Cloud Features

This software facilitates easy communication between patients and providers, improving patient engagement and satisfaction. Other than that, its lauded features include:

• Comprehensive patient overview:  This platform provides a complete view of the patient, integrating information about their demographics, clinical records, and interaction histories. It consolidates data from disparate systems, drives informed decision-making, and facilitates personalized care delivery.
• Care Plans: Salesforce Health Cloud enables care teams to collaborate on developing, tracking, and managing care plans. Incorporating defined goals, actionable tasks, and measurable milestones, this feature facilitates proactive monitoring of patient progress and enables timely adjustments to treatment protocols.
• Health Timeline: This feature offers visualization of a patient’s medical history, storing and presenting encounters, lab results, and medication history within a single interface. 
• AI Analytics for Healthcare: Leveraging the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, it delivers advanced analytical insights and predictive modeling. Healthcare organizations optimize patient outcomes, enhance operational efficiencies, and improve financial performance through data-driven strategies and proactive interventions.
• HIPAA compliance audit services: All services provided are HIPAA compliant, reducing the risk of data leaks.
• Care Team Productivity Assistance: Data is analyzed to form risk plans, customize care structure, set consultation appointments, and alert healthcare professionals of possible widespread issues. This feature helps medical staff prepare themselves and their equipment for dealing with problems and alert them to emerging health threats.
• Data Storage: Salesforce Healthcloud can store large volumes of data in multiple forms, such as heavy patient information and history files, scans, and lab results. The data is protected by EHR device integration and HL7 integration.

5 Benefits of Using Salesforce for Healthcare Organizations

1. Achieving a 360-Degree Patient Perspective for Personalized Care

This platform works beyond a simple data aggregation task; Salesforce Health Cloud’s Patient 360 unifies the patient profile. It takes up data from multiple, fragmented EHR systems, CRM interactions, wearable devices, and even social determinants of health. Healthcare providers gain unprecedented insights into a patient’s journey, enabling them to deliver personalized care and ultimately leading to better patient outcomes. 

2. Improved Care Coordination

Salesforce Health Cloud goes offers beyond tools, it provides a collaborative environment that breaks down silos between care team members, including physicians, nurses, specialists, social workers, and even the patients themselves. They can share real-time information, message securely, assign tasks, and share care plans, ensuring everyone is on the same page. This minimizes errors, reduces treatment delays, and leads to more efficient and effective patient care. 

3. Enhanced Patient Engagement

Salesforce Health Cloud automates personalized communication and sends timely reminders across various channels, including SMS, email, and patient portals. This keeps patients informed, involved in their care, and more likely to adhere to treatment plans. Features like patient portals provide secure access to health records, appointment scheduling, and direct communication with their care team. Automated appointment reminders reduce no-show rates, or personalized educational materials delivered based on a patient’s specific condition leading to increased adherence and patient satisfaction.

4. Telehealth Integration

Salesforce Health Cloud seamlessly integrates with telehealth solutions, offering virtual consultations, remote patient monitoring, and expanded access to care. It helps healthcare reach underserved populations, manage chronic conditions remotely, and provides convenient follow-up care. 

5. Data Security and Compliance

Built on the robust and secure Salesforce platform, Health Cloud prioritizes data security and compliance with stringent regulations, such as HIPAA. It incorporates advanced security measures, access controls, and audit trails to protect sensitive patient information. This commitment to security and compliance builds trust with patients and ensures adherence to legal requirements, mitigating risks and safeguarding the reputation of healthcare organizations.

Integrating Salesforce Health Cloud and EHR

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are digitalized versions of patient charts. Medical health organizations prefer these over other means of recording patient data. Salesforce Health Cloud provides custom fields to store the data in the standard EHR fields.

Electronic health records (EHRs) store patient information, including medical history, diagnoses, treatment plans, medication schedules, lab results, etc. This information is used to improve the quality of medical care. With the help of a Salesforce experts, healthcare providers can align their EHR integration with best practices for security, compliance, and performance.

The EHR system is steadily replacing old-school paper patient charts. All major health cloud-using hospitals are carrying out mass EHR device integrations to digitalize the tedious process of manually creating and maintaining patient charts and records. This process eliminates the chances of human error and the accidental negligence of critical information during chart evaluations. Salesforce health cloud integration synchronizes patient data with all the medical records in the cloud system, enabling information to be updated and analyzed in real-time.

Health professionals use this information to develop personalized and highly informed treatment plans. Epic is one of the most commonly used EHR software programs worldwide, offering regular updates and healthcare integration consulting services. It is almost impossible not to find hospitals that use EPIC software.

Salesforce Health Cloud Security

Salesforce Shield provides the two most sought-after features, along with other safety features required by HIPAA:

• Improved data logging system
• Comprehensive data encryption

Salesforce Health Cloud security measures are perfect for encrypting and protecting all data types, including Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and sensitive files and attachments. Security customizations, such as allowing limited people access to information through password protection, are popular among customers.

The Health Cloud Data Model

Salesforce Health Cloud’s architecture is flexible, allowing it to easily scale and accommodate diverse healthcare data sources. It is built leveraging standard objects such as Accounts, Contacts, and Tasks, designed for healthcare use cases.

The Health Cloud Data Model organizes patient data, giving a 360-degree view that helps healthcare professionals make better decisions for their patients and deliver personalized care.

Salesforce Health Cloud Architecture

 

 

Salesforce Health Cloud Implementation 

Salesforce Health Cloud stands out as one of the most effective tools for improving customer service and care coordination in healthcare. Implementing Health Cloud can help streamline operations and elevate the patient experience across all devices.

Flexible Packages to Fit Your Organization

Salesforce Health Cloud is available in two subscription models:

• Enterprise Edition – $300/user/month (billed annually)
  
• Unlimited Edition – $450/user/month (billed annually)
  

Salesforce Health Cloud Implementation Guide: Step-by-Step

Implementation can be handled in-house or with the support of certified Salesforce Health Cloud partners. The cloud-based nature of the platform simplifies setup, allowing for rapid deployment with minimal IT overhead.

Step 1: Enable Contact Sharing

Log in to your Salesforce org and enable the “Contacts to Multiple Accounts” feature. This is a required step before installing Health Cloud.

Step 2: Install the Health Cloud Package

Access the installation link from your Salesforce contract. Paste it into your browser, log in as a system administrator, and follow the prompts to install the package.

Step 3: Set Up My Domain and Admin Roles

Configure “My Domain” and wait for it to be registered. Assign necessary permission sets, roles, and record types to your system administrator profile. Make sure the admin is marked as a Service Cloud User to unlock full console functionality.

Step 4: Configure Profiles and Permissions

Define user roles and assign permissions to Health Cloud users such as care coordinators, patients, internal staff, and community members. This ensures secure access aligned with HIPAA compliance.

Step 5: Customize the Health Cloud Console

Tailor the user interface to your organization’s workflows. Adjust page layouts, components, and key attributes to support efficient care delivery and patient engagement.

Step 6: Migrate and Manage Patient Data

Import existing patient data and configure the patient instance creation process. You’ll have control over how patient records are created, linked, and managed within your Salesforce org.

Once Health Cloud is implemented, additional Salesforce apps and modules can be installed to extend functionality even further.

Enhance Your Health Cloud Experience

• Customization & Access Control: Fine-tune access rules and dashboard views to reflect your operational model and compliance standards.
• Build Patient Communities: Create secure, collaborative care communities to connect patients with caregivers and specialists, improving satisfaction and outcomes.
• Patient Risk Management: Set criteria to identify and monitor high-risk patients, enabling proactive, preventive care.
• Salesforce Shield for Data Security: Use Salesforce Shield to ensure full data security and HIPAA compliance. It offers platform encryption, event monitoring, and field audit trail features that protect sensitive patient data without affecting system performance.

Salesforce Health Cloud Limitations

With numerous features and benefits, Salesforce health cloud solutions have a few limitations as well:

• Display: Health Cloud is available only in Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 or 11; Microsoft Edge, the most recent stable version of Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Google Chrome.
• Access: A patient ID and password breach can give third parties data access unless the healthcare organization is informed and the password is changed.
• Information Display: The software may display information with a delay; however, it can be easily fixed by refreshing the page.
• Patient List Display: When viewing the patient list, the page can show only up to five hundred entries at a time.
• Language: Salesforce Health Cloud only supports major languages, such as English, Traditional Chinese, Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Finnish, and Korean.
• Cost: Some organizations may argue that the cost of Salesforce health cloud services is too high. However, Salesforce’s services have one of the lowest telemedicine software costs among medical software development companies.

Salesforce Health Cloud and HL7

HL7 (Health Level Seven) is the standard set by HIPAA related to Electronic Health Exchange (EHR). Salesforce Health Cloud stores EHR data transmitted via the HL7 data messaging method, so customers do not need to worry about security breaches. Salesforce has a strong partnership with HL7.org and is a voting member of the organization.

Salesforce is a member of HL7.org, regularly utilizing its standards and sharing digital assets. This active involvement assures that Salesforce Health Cloud stays updated with the latest HL7 standards, guaranteeing smooth interoperability and data exchange.

Here are the three key HL7 messages examples supported by Salesforce Health Cloud:

1. ADT (Admission, Discharge, Transfer): This message type handles patient demographic information such as admission, discharge, and transfer events.
2. ORM (Order Message): This HL7 message type transmits orders for various healthcare services, such as laboratory tests, radiology procedures, medications, etc.
3. ORU (Observation Result): It conveys results from laboratory tests, radiology procedures, other diagnostic tests, and any relevant interpretations.

HL7 and FHIR

The FHIR specification offered by Salesforce is one of the easiest to implement and is the safest method for data exchange between multiple healthcare applications. Although FHIR alone can be used as a standard for data exchange, it is best used coupled with other standards, such as HL7.

Maximize Patient Engagement with Salesforce Health Cloud Integration With Folio3 Digital Health

Improve interoperability and patient engagement with Salesforce Health Cloud integration. Get Salesforce Health Cloud to streamline operations and drive better outcomes. Our team of industry experts at Folio3 Digital Health can help you seamlessly integrate Salesforce Health Cloud with your existing EHR system, ensuring a smooth transition. We will help you out from ideation to deployment and post-deployment support.

Conclusion

Salesforce Health Cloud is one of the best platforms for healthcare organizations to use. It has been revolutionary in reducing the communication gap between healthcare organizations and patients.

Features such as consultation appointments, updates, and treatment plans greatly benefit patients; on the other hand, healthcare practitioners take advantage of the risk alert and treatment plan features, providing patients with the best services possible. Thanks to Salesforce Shield and HL7 standards, healthcare organizations are also able to avoid most non-compliance with HIPAA audit policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Salesforce Health Cloud an EHR?

We often hear questions about the difference between the Salesforce Health Cloud and the electronic health record (EHR) system. Although both systems have functions that often overlap, their basic purpose differs widely.

EHR systems incorporate electronic health records, practice management, and medical billing. Their core functions include patient reminders, scheduling, and e-prescribing.

Conversely, Salesforce Cloud Health is a layer of functionality for healthcare built on top of Salesforce CRM. More than 150,000 organizations and 3.75 million users actively use Cloud Health for patient management.

Its core function is a CRM that helps organizations acquire and retain patients. The functions inherently convert into addressable areas for healthcare to extend its reach outside practice.

Salesforce Cloud Health is not a substitute for EHR. But it can integrate with EHRs to provide a centralized platform with every aspect of patient information.

Many organizations that implement Health Cloud integrate Salesforce with EHR to synchronize core patient data. Salesforce Health Cloud EHR integration enables seamless connection with a wide array of health records (such as Allscripts EHR integration).

Why is Salesforce Health Cloud the Best for Telemedicine?

Healthcare organizations are looking towards Salesforce for telemedicine software development, as it is far more efficient and accurate than most other versions being developed. Salesforce Health Cloud delivers information much faster from one user to another, reducing the communication gap between the parties involved.

Salesforce Health Cloud is a user-friendly platform that helps individuals manage their overall well-being. In addition to providing valuable health advice, it ensures strict compliance with HIPAA regulations through its healthcare compliance consulting services, protecting patient data from privacy breaches.

Is Salesforce Health Cloud HIPAA-Compliant?

Yes. Salesforce Health Cloud is HIPAA compliant. 

Is There a Difference Between Health Cloud and Service Cloud?

Yes. Health Cloud has the value of Service Cloud and Sales Cloud by using CRM features to enable personalised patient and partner relationships.

What is the Salesforce Health Cloud certification?

The Salesforce Health Cloud certification is a form of validation that proves a professional’s ability to implement and configure Salesforce’s healthcare-specific CRM solution. 

What is the Salesforce Health Cloud data model?

The Salesforce Health Cloud data model is a framework that organizes and manages healthcare data within the Salesforce platform. It provides a 360-degree view of patients and their care journeys.

Who is a Salesforce Health Cloud consultant?

A Salesforce Health Cloud consultant is an expert who specializes in implementing and optimizing Salesforce Health Cloud

What is the Salesforce Health Cloud pricing?

Salesforce Health Cloud has three editions of pricing: Enterprise at $325 per user per month, Unlimited at $500 per user per month, and Einstein 1 for Service at $700 per user per month.

What are the core Salesforce Health Cloud capabilities?

• Patient 360
• Configure health cloud
• Care team productivity
• Advanced Therapy Management
• Care coordination
• Data privacy, protection, and integration
• Degree patient view
• Enhanced patient experience
• HIPAA compliance
  

What is Salesforce Health Cloud Advanced Therapy Management?

It is a capability that streamlines the delivery of complex, multi-step advanced therapies, like gene and cell therapies, by centralizing patient data, automating workflows, and simplifying appointment scheduling. 

Why should you hire Salesforce Health Cloud consulting services?

Hiring Salesforce Health Cloud consulting services ensures expert strategy, seamless implementation, regulatory compliance, system integration, and maximized ROI for healthcare organizations.

What is Health Cloud in Salesforce?

Just like the name suggests, Salesforce Health Cloud is a cloud-based platform built on Salesforce’s CRM to help healthcare organizations manage patients, deliver personalized care, and streamline their operations

Who is a Salesforce Health Cloud accredited professional?

A Salesforce Health Cloud Accredited Professional has expertise in the Health Cloud solution, designed for organizations in the healthcare and life sciences industries.

Who is a Salesforce Health Cloud provider?

An organization that utilizes the Salesforce Health Cloud platform to manage its healthcare operations and patient data. 

What are typical Salesforce Health Cloud use cases?

• Chronic condition management
• Post-acute care coordination
• Provider network management
• Patient access centers
• Social determinants of health tracking

About the Author