The actual physical location of the expanding volume of healthcare data is another evolving issue to contend with, and it poses the issue of whether it is better to retain a piecemeal approach or go new, according to an article on the FacilitiesNet website.

Federal law now requires patient data to be stored electronically. A considerable unknown with healthcare providers is how much space, both virtual and physical, that data will need.

This leaves organizations in one of three positions:

• A patchwork of spaces in different buildings

• Data centers consolidated into one existing building 

• The construction of a new building that is specifically designed and located to be its new data center

The one-time capital expenditure for a new data center, which offers the efficiency of new technology, should provide returns on investment that justify the costs, not to mention improvement in risk mitigation and marketability, the article said.

Read the article.