Remote Image Access Improves With an Offsite Solution
Medical imaging plays a major role in the overall level of patient care providers are able to offer. There are a great
many advantages that can be offered through the technology surrounding medical imaging – the archiving of, the queries for, and in sharing with other providers. However, repeat exams become a problem due to a number of issues regarding current technology, specifically, downtime. Helping to ease the burden of repeat exams is cloud-based archiving solutions for remote image access.
One of the most common hiccups that occur today involves CD burning technology. While this was considered a major advancement years ago as more and more providers weaned themselves off film-based images, the technology is considered cumbersome and flawed by today’s standards.
CDs take up valuable physical space in hospitals and clinics. The software and hardware used to burn the CDs doesn’t always produce a CD that is readable, which isn’t discovered until it’s too late. Furthermore, the fact that these cumbersome objects are lost in the mail or misplaced by patients or their providers, means that serious HIPAA implications come into play.
Remote image access involves using offsite vendors who manage the archiving, access and shareability of medical images. This process completely negates the need for CD burning technology. Furthermore, it improves patient engagement, which is one of the requirements in Stage 2 of Meaningful Use – all radiologists must make their reports on exams available in digital form within 24 hours of an exam. Remote image access technology makes this quite easy for medical image professionals.
Some vendors have taken it to the Web-based portal arena. Some are allowing for the necessary access to PACS in pulling up the images they need to see, but remotely through the Web-based portal.
One of the many advantages of using remote image access technology is that it is often a vendor neutral process, which means the images are viewer-agnostic. The proprietary nature of many medical image technology vendors has put up roadblocks for a good many healthcare professionals, barring them from gaining access to critical information. The vendor neutral nature of offsite image technology opens the door for all DICOM images to be available, regardless of the type of viewer being used. In some cases, a secure URL will point the way to images on something as small as an iPhone or as large as a standard DICOM viewer.
OffSite Image Management Inc., offers remote image access through its solution called Virtual CD. Our Virtual CD solution puts you in touch with the images you need to see now, regardless of your viewer and regardless of where you are. As long as you have access to the Internet, you have access to your critical medical images. Contact us today and we’ll discuss our solutions and how they can be a critical asset, adding value to your operation while saving you money at the same time.