Microsoft and Cognizant announced this week that they are building an integration road map so Cognizant can run both current and future healthcare platforms on Microsoft Azure – and migrate new and existing clients from on-premises environments to Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Cognizant collaborates with Microsoft on various healthcare provider and payer solutions, including interoperability and cost estimation suites in a SaaS environment. 

With cloud migration, Cognizant can offer streamlined functions and deliver new insights for payers, providers and consumers, according to Thursday's announcement.

"Through this integration with Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, TriZetto customers can harness the innovative features and capabilities across the entire Microsoft Cloud, empowering them to unlock growth, tap into new revenue streams and transition their existing services to the cloud," said Tom McGuinness, corporate vice president of global healthcare and life sciences at Microsoft, in the statement.

Surya Gummadi, executive vice president and president of Cognizant Americas, said the technology and cloud offerings will help healthcare organizations optimize their business operations and deliver better patient outcomes.

TriZetto's healthcare enterprise portfolio process 2.6B transactions each year for more than 347,000 healthcare providers and 8,000 health insurance payers.

On the Microsoft healthcare cloud, patients will also have greater access to their healthcare data, and they'll be able to review procedure and services costs, and compare pricing across providers, the company said.

THE LARGER TREND

Cognizant began partnering with Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare after its late 2020 launch and last year, leveraged cloud services in order to enhance virtual health offerings with remote patient monitoring tools.

Marcus Perez, president of Altera Digital Health, told Healthcare IT News in January that cloud technology will improve patient care, and through the use of human-centered design, create more efficient workflows for clinicians.

"Hospitals and large medical practices have found that cloud technology simplifies operations, secures data and reduces expenses, which are practical factors in improving overall management within healthcare organizations," he said.

Because both patients and clinicians can access real-time health data with cloud technology, they can treat their patients more effectively, he said. 

"Interoperable exchange of information will become more accessible and reach more people" in 2023, Perez predicted. 

ON THE RECORD

"Delivering leading technology to our healthcare clients is critical in enabling payers and providers to focus more time on supporting quality of care for beneficiaries," said Gummadi in the statement. 

"Through our strategic partnership with Microsoft and building on our advanced TriZetto healthcare solutions, we are empowering clients to adapt to shifting market trends, regulatory changes and operational demands." 

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

Darren Mann, Kathryn Kuttler and Dr. Peter Haug will offer more detail during the HIMSS23 session "Improved Patient Care Enabled by Real-Time Interoperable Clinical Decision Support." It is schedule for Thursday, April 20 at 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. CT at the South Building, Level 1, room S105 C.