VNA Healthcare Solutions in the Cloud
While technological advancements have improved the way radiologists study images, there continues
to be issues in how images are managed. Specifically, archiving, accessing and sharing medical images are at the forefront of most healthcare professional’s list of challenges. VNA healthcare advancements are providing an answer to the questions about how to address these concerns.
A community hospital in Newton, KS recently embarked on a project to improve diagnostic imaging needs. Their aging PACS and cumbersome image management provider seemed to be against them. They had trouble with image access, workflow and managing images based on new technology, like 3D mammography exams.
Hospitals small and large must adhere to the same rules and regulations, some of which are found in Meaningful Use stipulations and require radiologists to file an electronic report within 24 hours of an exam. There are regulations also governing disaster recovery preparation, storing and sharing images. Outdated PACS make it difficult if not impossible to adhere to all of these rules.
In the case of Newton Medical Center, they have an older PACS that they can’t rely on for consistently storing and tracking imaging data for disaster recovery purposes. Thanks to the advancement of technology such as vendor neutral archiving (VNA), healthcare providers are finding solutions that wipe out the problems they have in living up to the various requirements.
VNA healthcare solutions can upgrade PACS, giving them the power to archive all exams, including large 3D mammography exams, which Newton Medical Center struggled with before taking on a VNA healthcare solution. Furthermore, VNA technology can also help providers boost their levels of security, making the sensitive data less vulnerable to prying eyes.
Aside from better image management for day-to-day use, VNA can also boost a facility’s business continuity abilities, particularly when the VNA is combined with an offsite data archiving solution. For instance, using cloud-based archiving solutions, facilities like Newton don’t have to worry about a storm knocking out their servers, because all data is stored offsite, and most of the time it’s duplicated and stored on remote servers, which means any natural disaster affecting one area won’t impact that data stored in a different region.
Newton and many other facilities are impacted by proprietary technology. Proprietary solutions reduce the ability to share images across departments when each department works with a different vendor. This is also an issue when a person at one facility wants to share images with a person at a different facility. However, with VNA technology, this becomes a non-issue.
OffSite Image Management, Inc. is a company that relies on VNA technology and cloud solutions to bring the efficiencies that our clients want to see. We are a 360-degree diagnostic image solution where all your image sharing and storage solutions are available from one team. Contact us today and let’s talk about how we can address your issues.