BOSTON, Massachusetts—May 24, 2022 – Tufts Medicine has become the first health system to successfully launch its digital health ecosystem in the cloud. In collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), the $2 billion health system brought together its new electronic health record and more than 40 disparate applications, with a goal of transitioning 300 upon completion, to save the system between $2-5 million annually and decrease workflows from months to hours.
“The digital health landscape is ripe for disruption and advancement – and Tufts Medicine is leading the charge through the use of AWS,” said Dr. Shafiq Rab, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer at Tufts Medicine. “By undertaking the process of migrating more than 300 applications to AWS, we are providing a personalized, connected care experience for our patients, as well as a data-driven, modern clinical environment. This digital healthcare ecosystem will support a more efficient, equitable, and insightful healthcare industry and deliver high value patient outcomes.”
Tufts Medicine’s path to digital transformation is expanding the healthcare system’s ability to leverage cloud computing, interoperability, and edge computing, as well as introduce more advanced, secure operations. AWS enables the highly regulated healthcare industry to increase the pace of innovation and unlock the potential of healthcare data to develop a more personalized, consumer-driven approach to care. HIPAA-eligible data lakes, analytics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning services that run on AWS help customers improve clinical and operational efficiency, develop personalized treatments, and predict healthcare events.
Launching in the AWS Cloud, Tufts Medicine was able to move more than three million health accounts into the Epic EHR in record time. Had the system been using on-premise servers, this task would have taken approximately 200 days; with the new cloud-based system it was completed in 71 hours.
Tufts Medicine’s launch of its new digital health ecosystem has also enabled a new provider and patient experience that customizes consumer care and connects patients more closely with their healthcare team and services. Patients can now interact with a multi-lingual chat bot powered by Amazon Lex, an AWS service for building conversational interfaces for applications using voice and text, improving healthcare access and comprehension. In addition, Tufts Medicine has adopted and deployed Amazon Connect, a cloud-based contact center, that powers Tufts Medicine’s telehealth and virtual care services, so that patients can seek care at any time, in many locations.
“Cloud computing and advanced technology are driving new options for personalized care,” said Kim Majerus, Vice President of US Education, State and Local Government at AWS. “Care providers are using digital platforms to gain insights from patient data to provide a more personalized experience, and patients are increasingly more interested in accessing telehealth services and other digital care options. Tufts Medicine is at the forefront of evaluating new expectations of the healthcare community and is building an environment for frictionless patient care.”
For more information about Tufts Medicine and its future, visit tuftsmedicine.org.
About Tufts Medicine
Tufts Medicine is a leading integrated health system bringing together the best of academic and community healthcare to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts. Comprised of Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Hospital, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, an expansive home care network and a large integrated physician network. Tufts Medicine has more than 15,000 dedicated care team members providing more than 1.5 million patient experiences per year. The health system is the principal teaching hospitals for Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medicine came together in 2014 to leverage the experience of its member organizations and integrate their missions together transform the ways that consumers engage with and experience their care.
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