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Healthcare organizations are under mounting pressure to reduce operational friction, elevate patient experiences, and enable more connected models of care. Yet many providers are still anchored to legacy EHR systems that were designed for documentation, not transformation. These platforms struggle to keep pace with today’s demand for real-time data, integrated ecosystems, and patient-centric engagement.
Salesforce Health Cloud represents a material shift in how providers manage, orchestrate, and scale care delivery. Built on a cloud-first, API-driven foundation, it unifies patient data, streamlines workflows, and unlocks intelligent engagement capabilities that traditional EHRs cannot deliver. Its extensibility across clinical, administrative, and external networks positions it as the cornerstone for modern digital health ecosystems.
TELUS Digital acts as the execution engine behind this transformation. With deep Salesforce expertise and healthcare domain knowledge, TELUS Digital accelerates the migration from legacy EHR limitations to a connected, scalable Health Cloud architecture. The result is a more agile, insight-driven care model—one that supports continuity, drives operational efficiency, and future-proofs the organization against the next wave of digital disruption.
Operational realities and limitations of legacy EHR systems
Legacy EHR systems were built to capture clinical encounters, not support the dynamic, interconnected workflows that modern healthcare demands. As organizations scale, these systems become structural bottlenecks that slow decision-making, limit data accessibility, and impede high-quality patient engagement. The result is a fractured operating environment where clinicians, staff, and care teams are forced to work around the technology rather than through it.
Fragmented data architecture
Most legacy EHRs operate as isolated repositories with limited interoperability. Clinical data, administrative information, referral notes, payer records, and external partner data often live in separate systems that fail to communicate effectively. Without a unified view of the patient, providers are left with incomplete insights and disconnected care journeys—ultimately undermining quality, safety, and continuity of care.
Workflow bottlenecks
Outdated EHRs introduce operational drag across the organization. Manual data reconciliation, redundant documentation, and rigid workflows increase administrative burden and lengthen cycle times. Customizing or extending functionality typically requires expensive development work, and system updates are slow, disruptive, and resource-intensive. These limitations restrict the organization’s ability to adapt to evolving clinical and regulatory requirements.
Constrained patient engagement
Because legacy EHRs were never designed for omnichannel engagement, they offer minimal support for digital-first patient experiences. Providers struggle to deliver personalized outreach, real-time communication, or self-service tools that today’s patients expect. As a result, engagement remains reactive and episodic, limiting an organization’s ability to drive adherence, close care gaps, and strengthen long-term patient relationships.
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Salesforce Health Cloud is a more modern, scalable care platform
Salesforce Health Cloud redefines how healthcare organizations manage data, orchestrate workflows, and engage patients. Unlike legacy EHRs—built for encounter documentation—Health Cloud is engineered as a dynamic, interoperable platform that connects the full care ecosystem. It consolidates fragmented data, enables agile operations, and empowers providers with the intelligence needed to deliver coordinated, personalized care at scale.
Unified patient data layer
Health Cloud breaks down silos by integrating clinical records, claims data, care plans, scheduling information, and social determinants of health into a single, longitudinal patient profile. Teams gain real-time visibility into every interaction, reducing redundant documentation and eliminating guesswork. This connected data model gives providers the situational awareness needed to make informed decisions and drive more coordinated care delivery.
Configurable care-centered workflows
The platform offers prebuilt, care-focused workflows that can be rapidly configured using low-code tools. Organizations can adapt processes without writing custom code or waiting for system upgrades, enabling faster response to operational demands. Automation frameworks further streamline tasks by routing information, triggering alerts, and reducing administrative burden across clinical and non-clinical teams. The result is a more efficient, scalable operating model.
Omnichannel patient experience enablement
Health Cloud supports modern engagement without the limitations of legacy systems. Providers can deliver personalized outreach across phone, email, SMS, and digital portals, supported by real-time data and AI insights. Patients gain access to self-service tools, care plan updates, and seamless communication with their care teams. This omnichannel approach strengthens satisfaction, improves adherence, and transforms the patient experience into a coordinated, proactive journey.
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Considering AI, Interoperability, Security, and ROI
Salesforce Health Cloud delivers a consolidated advantage that legacy EHR systems cannot match. Its architecture is engineered for intelligence, connectivity, and operational resilience—capabilities that fundamentally elevate how healthcare organizations function. This section synthesizes the performance levers that position Health Cloud as the superior strategic investment.
AI-driven care enablement
Health Cloud brings predictive intelligence into daily operations. AI models support risk stratification, identify care gaps, and recommend next-best actions based on patient context and historical patterns. Automated tasking streamlines coordination across multidisciplinary teams, accelerating time-to-intervention. These capabilities shift organizations from reactive workflows to proactive, insight-driven care—something legacy systems simply were not built to support.
Interoperability and integration
With an API-first architecture, Health Cloud integrates seamlessly with EHRs, labs, payers, pharmacy networks, and third-party digital health tools. This eliminates the point-to-point integration debt that burdens legacy environments. Providers gain fluid data exchange across the entire care continuum, enabling more cohesive clinical, operational, and administrative processes. The cloud-native foundation ensures continuous innovation without the version-lock constraints of traditional EHR systems.
Security and compliance
Health Cloud operates on an enterprise-grade security framework that meets stringent healthcare regulatory requirements. Granular access controls, audit logs, and real-time monitoring reinforce data governance across all use cases. Compared to aging on-prem infrastructure—often prone to outdated security protocols—Health Cloud reduces exposure and strengthens organizational resilience.
Total cost of ownership and ROI
Legacy EHRs consume significant resources through ongoing maintenance, hardware investments, and costly custom upgrades. Health Cloud replaces that burden with a scalable, subscription-based model that minimizes technical overhead. Rapid configuration shortens deployment cycles, enabling organizations to deliver new capabilities without lengthy development timelines. The operational gains—higher productivity, streamlined coordination, and enhanced patient experiences—translate directly into measurable ROI.
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Finding a partner for digital transformation
Legacy EHR systems can no longer support the operational agility, connected data models, and patient-centric engagement that modern healthcare demands. Salesforce Health Cloud delivers a unified, intelligent, and scalable platform that breaks through these constraints—driving better coordination, stronger patient experiences, and more efficient operations. Its cloud-native architecture, AI capabilities, and interoperability advantage position it as the clear strategic upgrade for providers seeking to future-proof their digital ecosystem.
TELUS Digital brings the execution capability required to unlock that value. With deep Salesforce expertise and healthcare domain specialization, they streamline modernization, reduce integration complexity, and accelerate adoption across clinical and operational teams. The result is a high-performing digital health foundation that enables providers to operate with greater precision, responsiveness, and confidence.
Organizations ready to move beyond the limitations of legacy EHRs should consider Health Cloud and TELUS Digital as the combination that delivers measurable, sustainable impact.
