Vendor Neutral Viewer Solutions Bring Improved Access to Medical Images
With so much talk about vendor neutral archive (VNA), and the efficiencies it’s creating in healthcare
IT, there should be a shift toward the topic of the vendor neutral viewer. Fortunately, the conversation is picking up speed as more and more providers realize the advantages of a vendor neutral viewer solution.
For a solution to be truly vendor neutral in its viewing, that neutrality has to include the acquisition as well as the display. While any given facility has a variety of machines and tools from as many different vendors, this inevitably can lead to these vendors trying to essentially “hold you hostage” by creating file types that will only work with their viewing stations. Don’t fall for it, because there are vendor neutral viewing solutions out there that can help you.
You’ve probably noticed an uptick in consolidation strategies in IT departments right now. The goal is a valiant one – improve business continuity and shore up disaster recovery processes. Shouldn’t better access to medical images also be on the list for consolidation strategies?
To this end, more providers should be on the look out for a vendor that can assist them in going vendor neutral, especially in their medical image strategies. However, this shouldn’t require a provider to liquidate their current systems. Interoperability standards should be in place so that you keep what you need while gaining better, easier access to your medical images.
Due to a more patient-centric attitude in healthcare facilities throughout the nation and the world, better patient access to medical images is also on the table for discussion. Patient portals are an excellent tool to keep them up to date on their exams, giving them insights into doctors’ notes and how they can stay on top of their own health management. It’s an empowering development, and patient access to medical images needs to be part of the discussion.
The best vendors are even providing vendor neutral viewer solutions for patients and medical professionals on the go. Rather than being tied to a specific viewer in the lab, many images types can be accessed on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablet computers.
It’s an exciting development that more and more providers are beginning to seek out, and for good reason – it improves patient and doctor satisfaction.
At OffSite Image Management, Inc., we’ve embraced vendor neutral viewer solutions as much as we have vendor neutral archiving. Our patient-facing solutions are important, as are our solutions for radiologists, including teleradiogists who need more assurances that their images are being sent to the right people and there is more accountability in place. Need more information about our image accessibility solutions? Contact us today and let’s discuss our industry-leading developments.