Cloud PACS Delivers Big in a New Era
Did you know that roughly 59 percent of health IT professionals use or plan to use the cloud in 2017? For those who have already adopted cloud PACS and other cloud-based solutions and implemented them, this will come as no surprise due to the fact that there are so many efficiencies to be found in cloud computing. There has been a remarkable rise in the number of IT professionals adopting this technology – in 2014, only 22 percent were using back-office cloud applications; that number jumped to 47 percent by 2016.
Among the biggest drivers to the cloud is cost savings, efficiencies and better access to medical images. Some providers are switching out from laser-disc electronic health records for cloud-based technology. Various regulations in Meaningful Use are helping to ramp up the speed at which better technologies are sought out, but once providers get there, they are happy with the results of newer, faster, better technology offered with cloud PACS.
Lost Rivers Medical Center is one example of a provider that turned to cloud computing, eschewing their laser-disc electronic health records. An administrator there, according to HealthcareITNews, said they saved $700,000 and improved transparency, reduced medical errors and improved patient satisfaction. The cost savings, in part, were from the efficiencies in cloud computing that allowed them to bypass three billers, coders and fulltime positions with benefits.
Scalability is also a huge perk in adopting cloud PACS and other cloud computing processes. On-premise solutions require server space and IT professionals to man the equipment update it and maintain it. Cloud vendors provide all that. Plus, when it comes time to ramp up storage capacity, cloud vendors do that instead of the hospital acquiring more space and buying more servers, which sometimes is not even possible.
Some of the biggest winners of adopting cloud PACS are rural providers that are often left behind, especially when it comes to living up to the challenges that come with Meaningful Use requirements. Instead of seeking out qualified individuals to manage their medical IT processes, which is challenging at best, they can partner with a cloud PACS provider and get all the conveniences they’ve been looking for without all the cost restrictions.
The best cloud-based vendors are offering flexible, scalable solutions that don’t break the bank. In fact, the best vendors are offering cost savings, even to remote areas which rural providers can leverage. Instead of pricing out the smaller players, the best cloud vendors are putting together solutions that are among the best quality, and at a price that is affordable.
At OffSite Image Management, Inc., we’ve developed a 360-degree solution that fits the needs of providers large and small. Contact us today and let’s talk about industry-leading cloud PACS and how it can benefit you.