August 21, 2020 - Northwell Health in New York recently joined healthcare data analytics company Health Catalyst to implement cloud-based data analytics to improve patient outcomes across its enterprise organization and beyond.

According to an announcement from Health Catalyst, increased cloud-based reliance on data and analytics will help New York’s largest healthcare provider improve quality of care for patients by enabling providers to predict and respond to the changing needs of patients, payers, and their own providers across the care continuum.

“Northwell Health’s goal is a simple one that has not changed since our inception: Be better tomorrow than we are today. Partnering with Health Catalyst will allow us to accelerate the generation of critical insights for one of the world’s most diverse patient populations which includes more than 11 million individuals who will potentially turn to us for care,” Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, said in the announcement.

“Health Catalyst’s Augmented Intelligence (AI) and data science experience and expertise, along with our shared cultural attributes and mission alignment, will allow us to use data-informed decision making to achieve our shared commitment of transforming healthcare for the communities we serve.”

Northwell Health includes 23 hospitals, 800 outpatient facilities, and over 18,500 affiliated physicians. All providers within the health system will be able to access the cloud-based data analytics system that will “accelerate greater efficiency in data mapping and data storage to/with the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and the affordable emergence of an enterprise solution for meaningful and measurable clinical, financial and operational improvements,” Health Catalyst stated.

Northwell Health will also immediately have access to Health Catalyst’s suite of COVID-19 solutions, such as registry, staff, and patient trackers and a capacity planning tool.

“Health Catalyst will become our data and analytics backbone, as their Solutions will enable our organization to take our current data adoption and transformation to entirely new heights,” said John Bosco, senior vice president and chief information officer at Northwell Health.

“We are looking forward to leaning on DOS to create an affordable, yet innovative enterprise solution that will further enable transformative care to the patients we serve.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 11,000 patients have received care from Northwell’s 16,000 nurses and 4,000 doctors. This includes members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and 1,600 additional beds dedicated to coronavirus patients, a Health Catalyst spokesperson said.

Cloud computing is becoming more widespread and helps organizations manage big data, cyber-security, and quality control. It is also adaptable to various platforms, making it easy to use universally.

Back in January, a Research&Markets report found that the global healthcare cloud computing market is expected to reach $51.9 billion by 2024.

The market is projected to increase from $23.4 billion in 2019 at a compound annual growth rate  of 17.2 percent during the period, researchers reported.

The main growth factors through 2024 will include the increasing adoption of big data analytics, wearable devices, and internet of things in healthcare. The market is also slated to grow due to the advantages of cloud usage, such as improved storage, flexibility, and the scalability of data.

During this forecast period, North America is expected to account for the largest share of the global healthcare cloud computing market.

This large share is due to the increasing adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) among medical professionals, the approach of government health IT programs, and active participation by private sector players in industrial development.