Menu

contact us

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

Get the inside scoop on the latest healthcare trends and receive sneak peeks at new updates, exclusive content, and helpful tips.

Contact Us






    Posted in Cloud in healthcare

    Last Updated | March 7, 2024

    Overview: What is Salesforce Health Cloud

    With the benefits of digital data-keeping becoming clearer by the day, hospitals have also rapidly started digitalizing all their data. Medical software development companies have become highly valued within the healthcare community. One of the best healthcare mobile app development companies is Salesforce.

    Salesforce telemedicine software development is in high demand as it not only has the best UI design in healthcare. Moreover, it also provides services such as HIPAA compliance audit services. The HL7 integration is a guarantee of the excellent quality of services provided by the Salesforce healthcare cloud. Salesforce health cloud is widely used and praised for making communication between a patient and the healthcare professional in charge much smoother and increasing customer engagement.

    Health cloud salesforce has the most seamless functioning among all other medical software development companies.

    What is Salesforce Health Cloud?

    Health Cloud is a type of Customer Relation Management software that uses cloud technology to aid all the stakeholders and customers in a healthcare organization have a hassle-free experience. Health cloud allows users and healthcare staff to access all patient information including medical history and upcoming health check-up appointments in real-time. 

    The integration of healthcare applications and software has become an essential part of the healthcare system in the current global pandemic when unnecessary face-to-face conversations and healthcare facility visits is possibly deadly. The information stored on these health clouds can even be used by doctors and pharmaceutical companies to predict upcoming widespread health issues and alter their procedures and medicinal production accordingly.

    Salesforce Health Cloud:

    Healthcare organizations are looking towards Salesforce for telemedicine software development. Salesforce healthcare clouds are far more efficient and accurate than most other versions being developed. 

    Salesforce health cloud is usually much faster in delivering information from one user to another, reducing the communication gap between the parties involved. Health cloud salesforce is user-friendly and can easily be used by non-tech-savvy customers. It has additional features which provide health advice to customers, ensuring they are well informed on how to maintain their mental, physical and emotional health.

    Salesforce Health Cloud also ensures HIPAA compliance for software development by providing healthcare compliance consulting, and protecting customers from possible privacy leaks, and heavy fines.

    What is Salesforce Health Cloud used for?

    Most organizations are now digitalizing all their sensitive data to protect it from the complications that accompanied manual data entry. Healthcare organizations now require health clouds to update highly accurate data in a safe platform, accessible to relevant parties.

    Salesforce Health Cloud more than fulfills this need. It is also a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software with the most interactive UI design in healthcare. Salesforce health cloud allows critical information to be easily accessible and analyzed by the patient, healthcare team, and other stakeholders.

     The information saved in the salesforce healthcare cloud follows the HL7 method; easy to understand all while staying in line with HIPAA audit policies. In addition to this, the software also has features allowing patients to connect directly with their healthcare organization such as scheduling and tracking appointments, forming health goals, and devising health care plans.

    Salesforce Health Cloud features:

    This user-friendly software prides itself on features targeted at making patient healthcare provider communication easier and increasing patient engagement.  

    • HIPAA compliance audit services: All services provided are HIPAA compliant, reducing the risk of data leaks resulting in heavy repercussions such as fines.

    • Care Team Productivity Assistance: Data is analyzed to form risk plans, customize care plans, set up consultation appointments, and alert healthcare professionals of possible widespread issues. This feature helps medical staff prepare themselves and their equipment for dealing with issues such as the mass spread of viruses or seasonal diseases.

    • Storage of Data: The health cloud can store large amounts 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.

    Salesforce Health Cloud EHR integration:

    Electronic Health Records (EHR), are the digitalized version of patient charts. Medical health organizations prefer these over other means of recording patient data. EHRs also usually provide essential, additional services using saved data such as treatment plans, medication schedules and records, medical history, diagnoses, test results, immunization records, allergies, and radiology images.

     EHRs are 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 creating and maintaining patient charts and records. The digitalization of the process also removes the chances of human error and the accidental negligence of critical information during chart evaluations.

    Salesforce health cloud EHR device integration synchronizes patient data with all the medical records present in the cloud system. The integration of the Salesforce health cloud with the EHR also results in all the information being updated and analyzed in real-time. 

    Health professionals use this information to come up with personalized and highly informed treatment plans. Epic is one of the most commonly used EHR software in the world. It is almost impossible to not find hospitals that use EPIC software all over the world. Epic has earned such popularity through frequent updates and by providing healthcare integration consulting to hospitals within and outside the USA.

    Salesforce Health Cloud security:

    Salesforce Shield provides two very sought-after features related to HIPAA- a highly improved data logging system and much more comprehensive data encryption- along with other safety features required by HIPAA regulations. Salesforce health cloud security measures are perfect for encrypting and protecting all types of data such as Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and sensitive files and attachments.

    The software has the best UI design in healthcare and organizations can have the security settings customized to fit their needs. Security customizations such as allowing limited people access to information through password protection are a popular choice among customers.

    Salesforce Health Cloud implementation:

    Salesforce Health Cloud is one of the Best Examples of Excellent Customer Service in Healthcare and can be implemented on all your devices in a few easy steps:

    • Health Cloud set up: Salesforce health cloud is offered in two packages- the enterprise package rating at $300 per month (annual billing), or the unlimited package rating at $450 per month (annual billing). The packages cater to organizations with different needs and users and can be discussed by a salesforce representative. Once purchased, the software can be installed on multiple devices.
    • Customization: Once set up, the health cloud can be customized to adapt to the organization’s needs. Customizations can control how much and what information can be viewed by which user.
    • Build Patient Communities: Patient Communities are vital for the improvement of patient health and safety as they identify caregivers and better-suited healthcare professionals for each patient. 
    • Manage patient risk detectors: Set the criteria for risk factors within patients to identify high-risk patients and proactively manage their health journey.
    • Apply Salesforce Shield: Salesforce shield helps protect sensitive data in compliance with HIPAA security rules. Salesforce Shield oversees Platform Encryption, Field Audit Trail, and Event Monitoring, protecting it from all malicious activity without affecting other Salesforce health cloud functions.

    There is a guide that states a few easy steps for implementing Salesforce Health Cloud.

    Salesforce Health Cloud limitations:

    Salesforce health cloud does have a few limitations. However, the software is regularly updated in an effort to remove these limitations:

    • Display: The software is only available on Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 or 11, Microsoft Edge, the recent version of Mozilla Firefox, the recent version of Apple Safari, and the recent version of Google Chrome.
    • Access: A breach of the patient ID and password can give access to third parties unless the healthcare organization is informed and the password is changed.
    • Information Display: The software may show a delay in the appearance of information. However, this issue is easily fixed by refreshing the page.
    • Patient List Display: When viewing the patient list, the page can show only up to five hundred patients 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 the Salesforce health cloud services is too high. However, the services provided by Salesforce have one of the lowest telemedicine software costs among the 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 need not worry about the security issues being kept at bay by HL7. Salesforce works closely with HL7.org and is a voting member of the organization. The partnership between HL7.org and Salesforce is rather strong. 

    Salesforce regularly uses the HL7 “Care Connected” logo and shares standard and digital assets standards. Hence, Salesforce is usually aware of all upcoming changes and important news related to HL7 and updates the software to suit the HL7 standard

    HL7 Messages Examples usually show Salesforce Health Cloud having three key HL7 data:

    1. The Fast Health Interoperability Resources (FIHR): FIHR is defined by HL7 as the key to smooth interoperability between different healthcare systems. 
    2. The HL7 Admission, Discharge, Transfer (ADT) messaging system is responsible for sensitive data such as patient identity, patient family and relationship information, payment modes and history, patient visitor details, and allergen history. The data in these DT messages are stored by Salesforce as an EHR data model
    3. The FHIR specification offered by Salesforce is one of the easiest to implement, consistent, and safe methods of data exchange between multiple healthcare applications. Organizations often make the process of choosing between data exchange standards a game of HL7 vs FHIR

    Although FHIR alone can be used as a standard for data exchange, it is best put to use coupled with other standards such as HL7. 

    Conclusion

    Salesforce Health Cloud is clearly the best healthcare mobile app development company. It has been revolutionary in reducing the communication gap between healthcare organizations and patients. 

    Patients benefit greatly from features such as healthcare plans and health consultation appointment updates, while health practitioners benefit from the risk alert and treatment plan features; providing patients with the best services possible. Healthcare organizations are also able to avoid most non-compliance to HIPAA audit policies thanks to Salesforce Shield and HL7 standards.

    FAQs:

    Is Salesforce Health Cloud HIPAA compliant?

    A: Salesforce Health Cloud is usually integrated with Salesforce Shield which ensures HIPAA compliance. The HL7 messaging standard implemented by Salesforce further encrypts and protects data from any unsafe exchanges and suspicious activity.

    How Salesforce Health Cloud is transforming the patient experience?

    A: Salesforce health cloud has made the communication between patients and healthcare professionals very smooth. Patients can access comprehensive information related to their healthcare and treatment such as healthcare plans. Salesforce health cloud also assists patients in keeping track of all their past and future appointments. The user-friendly interface lets even the least tech-savvy patients interact with all the features with ease.

    About the Author

    Noc Folio3