Back to Guides
Healthcare Implementation Guide
Health Cloud Implementation Guide
A comprehensive, proven methodology for implementing Salesforce Health Cloud for healthcare providers, health plans, ACOs, and life sciences organizations. Covers Patient 360, care coordination, EHR/HIE integration, HIPAA compliance, and best practices.
16-22 weeks typical timeline
6 implementation phases
HIPAA-compliant methodology
6-Phase Implementation Methodology
Our battle-tested approach ensures HIPAA-compliant deployment with measurable outcomes, from discovery through optimization.
Phase 12-3 weeks
Discovery & Strategic Planning
Key Activities
- Stakeholder interviews with clinical, IT, compliance, and operations teams
- Current state assessment of patient/member engagement processes
- Clinical workflow analysis (care coordination, population health, utilization management)
- Technology landscape mapping (EHR, HIE, claims, pharmacy systems)
- Regulatory requirements review (HIPAA, HITECH, state privacy laws)
- Data governance and PHI protection requirements
- User persona development (physicians, care managers, utilization review, member services)
Deliverables
- Strategic Roadmap Document
- Technical Architecture Blueprint
- HIPAA Compliance Matrix
- User Stories & Acceptance Criteria
- Project Charter with Success Metrics
Phase 24-6 weeks
Data Migration & EHR/HIE Integration
Key Activities
- Patient/member data extraction from source systems (Epic, Cerner, claims platforms)
- Data profiling and quality assessment (demographics, clinical, claims, SDOH)
- PHI data classification and encryption strategy
- FHIR/HL7 v2 integration design for EHR and HIE connectivity
- ADT feed configuration for care coordination events
- Test migration with synthetic PHI data
- Production migration with zero-downtime strategy
Deliverables
- Data Migration Playbook
- FHIR/HL7 Integration Specification
- Data Quality Report (completeness, accuracy, consistency)
- PHI Encryption Configuration
- Test Migration Validation Report
Phase 33-4 weeks
Health Cloud Configuration
Key Activities
- Patient 360 profile setup (demographics, clinical history, medications, care team)
- Care plan templates for chronic disease management (diabetes, CHF, COPD)
- Provider network configuration with credentialing workflows
- Care team role definitions (physicians, nurses, care managers, social workers)
- Clinical terminology mapping (ICD-10, CPT, LOINC, RxNorm)
- Care gap identification rules for quality measures (HEDIS, STAR ratings)
- Custom objects for claims, prior authorizations, and utilization data
Deliverables
- Health Cloud Configuration Guide
- Care Plan Templates Library
- Clinical Terminology Mapping
- Care Gap Rules Engine
- Provider Network Setup Documentation
Phase 43-4 weeks
Workflow Automation & Business Logic
Key Activities
- Care coordination workflows (post-discharge, high-risk outreach, transitions of care)
- Automated task assignment to care team members
- Risk stratification scoring (claims + clinical + SDOH data)
- HEDIS measure tracking and care gap alerts
- Prior authorization workflows with clinical decision support
- Member/patient engagement campaigns (SMS, email, IVR)
- Automated reporting for quality measures and population health metrics
Deliverables
- Workflow Automation Specification
- Risk Stratification Algorithm
- Care Gap Alert Rules
- Prior Authorization Workflow Documentation
- Engagement Campaign Templates
Phase 52-3 weeks
Security, Compliance & Testing
Key Activities
- HIPAA security configuration (field-level encryption, audit trails, RBAC)
- Business Associate Agreement (BAA) execution with Salesforce
- PHI access logging and monitoring setup
- Breach notification procedures and incident response plan
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with clinical and operations teams
- Integration testing with EHR, HIE, and claims systems
- Performance testing for data sync and reporting
Deliverables
- HIPAA Compliance Documentation
- Security Configuration Guide
- UAT Test Cases & Results
- Integration Test Results
- Incident Response Plan
Phase 62-3 weeks
Training, Deployment & Optimization
Key Activities
- Role-based training for care teams (physicians, nurses, care managers)
- Compliance training on PHI handling and HIPAA requirements
- Go-live preparation and cutover planning
- Hypercare support (24/7 for first 2 weeks)
- Adoption metrics tracking (daily active users, care plan usage, data quality)
- Ongoing optimization based on user feedback
- Monthly health checks and performance reviews
Deliverables
- Training Materials & Curriculum
- Go-Live Checklist
- Hypercare Support Plan
- Adoption Metrics Dashboard
- Optimization Roadmap
Critical Health Cloud Features to Configure
Essential capabilities and implementation best practices for Patient 360, care coordination, provider networks, compliance, and population health.
Patient 360 / Member 360
Unified view aggregating EHR data (demographics, encounters, diagnoses, medications, labs), claims history, pharmacy data, social determinants of health (SDOH), wearable data, and care team notes.
Implementation Best Practices:
- Use Person Accounts for patient/member records (not Business Accounts)
- Configure Health Cloud standard objects: Patients, Care Plans, Care Team Members, Observations
- Integrate bidirectional FHIR APIs with EHR for real-time clinical data sync
- Use custom fields to capture SDOH data (housing, food security, transportation)
- Implement data retention policies compliant with HIPAA minimum necessary principle
Care Plans & Care Coordination
Evidence-based, templated care plans for chronic disease management, care transitions, and wellness programs with automated task assignment and progress tracking.
Implementation Best Practices:
- Create care plan templates for top chronic conditions (diabetes, CHF, COPD, hypertension)
- Use Care Plan Template custom metadata for version control and clinical governance
- Automate task creation and assignment to care team members (nurses, social workers)
- Track care plan milestones and outcomes for reporting to CMS and payers
- Integrate with ADT feeds for care transition triggers (admission, discharge, transfer)
Provider Network Management
Comprehensive provider directory with credentialing workflows, network adequacy monitoring, and referral management for care coordination.
Implementation Best Practices:
- Use Health Cloud Providers object for physician and facility records
- Implement credentialing workflows with automated reminders for license/certification renewals
- Track provider affiliations, specialties, and panel capacities
- Configure referral management with real-time provider availability
- Monitor network adequacy metrics for compliance with state and CMS requirements
HIPAA Compliance & PHI Security
Field-level encryption, comprehensive audit trails, role-based access controls (RBAC), and Business Associate Agreement (BAA) coverage for PHI protection.
Implementation Best Practices:
- Enable field-level encryption (FLE) for all PHI fields (SSN, MRN, clinical data)
- Use Shield Platform Encryption for data at rest protection
- Configure field history tracking for PHI access audit trails
- Implement role hierarchies and sharing rules for minimum necessary access
- Enable login forensics and API audit logs for security monitoring
- Sign BAA with Salesforce and all third-party apps on AppExchange
Population Health & Risk Stratification
Predictive analytics and risk scoring for patient cohorts using claims, clinical, pharmacy, and SDOH data to identify high-risk members and close care gaps.
Implementation Best Practices:
- Integrate claims data (medical, pharmacy, behavioral health) for utilization analysis
- Implement risk stratification algorithms (e.g., CMS-HCC, HHS-HCC, DxCG)
- Track HEDIS measures at member level for care gap identification
- Use predictive models for readmission risk, ED utilization, and cost forecasting
- Configure automated outreach campaigns for high-risk members
Care Gap Identification & HEDIS Tracking
Automated tracking of quality measures (HEDIS, STAR ratings) with member-level care gap identification and closure workflows.
Implementation Best Practices:
- Build care gap rules for top HEDIS measures (diabetes care, breast cancer screening, etc.)
- Integrate claims and clinical data for accurate measure numerator and denominator
- Automate care gap alerts to care teams for proactive member outreach
- Track measure performance over time with trend analysis
- Configure workflows for care gap closure validation and documentation
Common Challenges & Proven Solutions
Real-world obstacles in Health Cloud implementations and how to overcome them.
Complex EHR/HIE Integration with Multiple Standards
Impact:
Integration delays, incomplete clinical data, manual workarounds
Solutions:
- Start with FHIR R4 APIs where available (Epic, Cerner have mature FHIR implementations)
- Use HL7 v2 for real-time ADT feeds (admit/discharge/transfer notifications)
- Leverage C-CDA documents from HIEs (CommonWell, Carequality) for care summaries
- Implement MuleSoft or custom middleware for orchestration and data transformation
- Use Salesforce Platform Events for real-time alerts on clinical events
HIPAA Compliance and PHI Data Governance
Impact:
Regulatory violations, audit findings, breach notifications
Solutions:
- Enable Shield Platform Encryption and field-level encryption for all PHI
- Implement field history tracking for comprehensive audit trails
- Configure role hierarchies with minimum necessary access principles
- Use Salesforce Event Monitoring for security analytics and anomaly detection
- Conduct regular HIPAA security risk assessments and penetration testing
User Adoption in Clinical Workflows
Impact:
Low system usage, incomplete data entry, care coordination gaps
Solutions:
- Embed Health Cloud in EHR workflows (e.g., Epic Activity tab, Cerner PowerChart)
- Minimize data entry with pre-population from EHR and claims sources
- Use Lightning components for streamlined, mobile-optimized UI
- Provide role-based training tailored to clinical workflows (care managers, physicians)
- Track adoption metrics (daily active users, care plan usage) and iterate
Data Quality from Multiple Source Systems
Impact:
Inaccurate risk scores, missed care gaps, poor reporting
Solutions:
- Implement data quality rules at ingestion (e.g., duplicate detection, address validation)
- Use master data management (MDM) for patient/member matching across systems
- Configure data validation rules for clinical terminology (ICD-10, CPT, LOINC)
- Set up automated data quality monitoring with alerts for anomalies
- Establish data stewardship roles and governance processes
Health Cloud Best Practices
Expert recommendations for data architecture, security, care coordination, and quality measurement.
Data Architecture & Integration
- Use Person Accounts as the foundation for Patient/Member 360 (not Business Accounts)
- Leverage Health Cloud standard objects before creating custom objects
- Design for scalability: plan for millions of patients/members and historical data
- Implement tiered integration strategy: real-time for critical data (ADT), batch for bulk (claims)
- Use Platform Events for event-driven architecture (e.g., ADT notifications triggering care workflows)
Clinical Terminology & Interoperability
- Use industry-standard code sets: ICD-10 for diagnoses, CPT for procedures, LOINC for labs, RxNorm for medications
- Implement FHIR R4 APIs for EHR integration (Patient, Observation, Condition, MedicationRequest resources)
- Configure HL7 v2 ADT message parsing for admit/discharge/transfer notifications
- Use C-CDA documents from HIEs for longitudinal patient records
- Maintain terminology mapping tables for code set translations
Security, Compliance & PHI Protection
- Enable Shield Platform Encryption for data at rest ($3K/user/month for Enterprise+)
- Use field-level encryption (FLE) for PHI fields (SSN, MRN, clinical notes)
- Configure audit logging: field history tracking, login forensics, API logs, setup audit trail
- Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) with minimum necessary access
- Sign Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Salesforce and all third-party apps
- Conduct annual HIPAA security risk assessments and penetration testing
Care Coordination & Clinical Workflows
- Create care plan templates for top chronic conditions and care transitions
- Automate task assignment to care team members based on risk scores and care gaps
- Use Lightning components for streamlined, mobile-optimized care team UI
- Integrate with telehealth platforms (Teladoc, Amwell) for virtual visits
- Track care plan adherence and outcomes for quality reporting
Population Health & Quality Measurement
- Implement risk stratification using claims + clinical + SDOH data
- Build HEDIS measure tracking for top measures (diabetes care, cancer screening, etc.)
- Configure automated care gap alerts for proactive member outreach
- Use predictive analytics for readmission risk and ED utilization
- Track STAR ratings performance for Medicare Advantage plans