A mobile backend service running on Google Cloud aims to reduce compliance hurdles and make it easier to deploy mHealth technologies while saving on costs and management tasks.
The Kinvey mobile Backend as a Service (mBaaS) arrives as the federal government aims to advance HIPAA compliance audits this year amid an increasing demand for mHealth tech to boost research outcomes.
For IOMEDIA, the mBaaS is helping its clients develop apps and mHealth programs without big costs and technology management burdens, says Marc Porter, IOMEDIA managing director.
"Consolidation and efficiency are desirable to our programs. Kinvey offers consolidated HIPAA-compliant data management, which helps to limit the number of moving parts, thus minimizing potential issues and maximizing security, and proven support to ensure the highest level of service to our clients and their customers," Porter tells FierceMobileHealthcare in an email interview.
In the future, Porter hopes to see smoother integration of services with medical recordkeeping systems.
"As various technologies are integrated and data capture and transfer must become more fluid between patients, HCPs and payers, it will be essential for data management services to remain current to both technological capabilities and the regulatory environment to ensure the full benefits are extended to all stakeholders," he says. "An immediate need would be standardized, or at least greatly simplified, EMR integration for the numerous programs and wearable tech generating valuable patient health data inputs."
Kinvey CEO Sravish Sridhar says his company chose Google, over platforms from IBM, Amazon and Microsoft, for several reasons.
"Their cloud platform performed best in terms of how fast it was to spin infrastructure up, and how fast we could move data," Sridhar tells FierceMobileHealthcare. "Their price/performance for HIPAA-compliant infrastructure was unmatched, and the machine learning and analytics tools help providers and pharma companies extract patient interaction data flowing through Kinvey."
Sridhar says a weak spot regarding cloud hosting is the perception it is not secure.
"Progressive providers have embraced cloud, run crucial workloads on cloud and kick start new initiatives like mobility as cloud-first programs. However, IT departments and governance in older healthcare organizations still subscribe to an on-premises mindset. Time, and seeing other healthcare providers derive value from a mobile/cloud strategy will change that perception and grow cloud adoption for mHealth initiatives," he says.
Kit Merker, Google product manager for Cloud Launcher, tells FierceMobileHealthcare the service meets an industry demand as providers are challenged with meeting privacy policies while boosting productivity and patient care.
"As the revolution of mobile app development continues, so does the maturity of the 'as-a-service' model by cloud providers. Enterprise players, such as healthcare providers, are seeking new, efficient means of accelerating their backend operations in order to quickly deliver value to customers," he says.
For more information:
- read the announcement
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