At first glance, traditional PACS and cloud PACS share many similarities. The functionality is definitely similar, but the clear distinction is that when you implement a cloud PACS solution, none of the infrastructure is housed within your facility, which means the vendor takes care of all the maintenance and upgrades on their end, often using multiple, high-security data centers to store your data.
It becomes apparent fairly quickly when you adopt a cloud PACS platform that your network becomes broader, meaning you have access to more devices that allow you to view your imaging. And given that the vendor has all the IT personnel on their end providing the maintenance, your IT crew is freed up to do more mission-critical work.
Main Cloud-Based Advantages
Improve Services: If you are a rural provider, you may be limited in what you can do with technology because your budget is significantly smaller and you have less access to IT personnel with the skillsets necessary to manage complex data imaging technology. That’s where cloud PACS steps in to assist. The investment in this technology suddenly becomes available because the initial costs are so low and the personnel running the show are at the vendor’s facility, not yours.
Save Money: Replacing local PACS with one that’s based in the cloud means you’re offloading all those costs associated with infrastructure investments. Storage costs are no longer an issue and you don’t have to worry about hiring qualified individuals to maintain and support your system, which represents significant cost savings.
Better Security: While there was some trepidation about storing data in the cloud several years ago, those fears have been assuaged. Cloud-based PACS vendors must provide the highest levels of protection against attack if they’re going to uphold their reputations, which is why it’s actually safer to store your data in the cloud than on-premise.
Scalable Storage: Instead of adding a new server to your facility to handle an influx of data, when you work with a cloud-based vendor, you can easily upgrade your storage situation by simply requesting more. And instead of waiting for a team to install a new server at your facility and going through the integration and implementation process, you get more storage pretty much immediately after requesting it from your vendor.
Easy Image Access: Among the most advantageous perks for using a cloud-based solution is that you get easier access to images. It’s simply faster and easier because you aren’t tied to a dedicated viewer in the imaging center, radiology department or another facility – everything is available via a secure URL to pretty much any type of device.
At OffSite Image Management, we offer all the perks listed above. We have served the historically underserved segment of healthcare providers, including those in rural areas, for years. Visit our PACS solution page and get more information about how we serve our customers.
