Disruption is a word often used in a negative light. However, for radiologists considering the next
steps in technology that will help them do their jobs more efficiently, the latest “disruption” is positive: vendor neutral voice recognition.
Some past disruptions include replacing film with digital processes, and replacing CD burning technology with electronic delivery of images. Now, the old way of transcription is about to get a makeover with voice recognition technology. Furthermore, PACS as we know them are being disrupted with a reconstructed PACS methodology.
What does the radiology architecture of the future look like? Many in the industry point to a path toward zero footprint solutions, including viewers and vendor neutral voice recognition. Of course, the vendor neutral archive will continue to be a go-to solution, as will strategies involving a smart worklist.
The smart worklist piece is an important part of the puzzle as patients migrate from one doctor or specialist to another at a disparate facility. Since PACS are designed to work in one department, utilizing smart work lists fits better in the current modern health system. Furthermore, the smart worklist can integrate with any PACS, scheduling solution, viewer or voice recognition technology.
Disparate systems become more tightly integrated when utilizing a smart worklist, which means they can share data without issues, regardless of the format (DICOM and non-DICOM). For this to work most effectively, all solutions have to live in the cloud under a zero-footprint solution.
It was only a couple of years ago that Google and the W3C launched audio stream to browsers, which is actually the foundation of current radiology voice recognition. While there are only a few vendors offering vendor neutral voice recognition, those numbers are expected to grow, and quite large.
Some of the trends that are pushing this growth include the fact that bandwidth availability is increasing, better voice recognition technology is being developed every day, there is an increase in demand for zero-maintenance radiology workstations, and there has been an increase in structured reports in radiology.
The expectation is that the larger hospitals and hospital groups will adopt voice recognition technology first. However, it’s becoming less expensive, especially as it’s being offered via the cloud through a simple app.
If you’re interested in adopting this new technology, contact us at OffSite Image Management, Inc., today. Our TeleRad360 solution will help you solve workflow and reporting challenges, and it also includes voice recognition technology that very few vendors are currently offering. We’re ahead of the pack on this, as we have been with many of our solutions that clients have enjoyed for years, and at a cost reduction compared to legacy technologies. If you’re ready to embrace the future of healthcare, start with OffSite.