On a global scale, cloud computing has taken off and ushered in innumerable advantages. While the healthcare industry was slow on the uptake in the beginning, cloud-based solutions aimed at the industry are widespread today. Cloud PACS is a key part of radiology-based solutions today.
Costs associated with medical images are high due to the size of the files and the sheer volume of them. Tomosynthesis files, for example, can be as large as 3 gigabytes, and there can be multiple images per study. It’s for this reason that medical images are projected to take up as much as 30% of the world’s storage. This is why it is becoming far more advantageous to adopt a cloud storage method rather than try to store everything on site.
The Sharing Advantage
The National Healthcare Information Network requires PACS to share medical images, but roughly 75% of imaging procedures occur outside the hospital where PACS are largely absent, which means these images aren’t available to providers. Fortunately, cloud PACS involves Software-as-a-Service functionality, which means all you need is an Internet connection.
Cloud PACS offers one huge advantage that most on-site PACS fail to achieve, and that’s sharing images with other professionals. And it’s not just images you can share when adopting a cloud PACS solution, you also share reports and other data related to a patient’s care.
Another fortunate quality of the cloud-based solution is that there is a zero-footprint viewer, which means there is no updating, maintaining or managing tasks required of your IT staff. Your vendor does all the heavy lifting.
Choosing the Right Vendor
Your needs are going to differ from the hospital, clinic or imaging facility down the road, which is why it pays to do your research before adopting a cloud PACS solution from a vendor. First and foremost, you need to choose a solution that is based on the latest DICOM standards. They should also offer you easy access to patient exams and data at multiple locations at any time.
You also shouldn’t choose a one-size-fits-all PACS solution. For example, smaller practices might not need unlimited routing, massive amounts of storage or multiple FDA-approved workstations. But you should expect to receive all the hardware and software you need to perform your tasks, have the ability to import documents and have access to structured reporting. Furthermore, you should be able to scale your storage needs, so you’re not paying for more than you’re using right now but have the option to bump up later.
At OffSite Image Management, we have tiers of cloud PACS that can fit many different needs. Our most popular one includes a browser-agnostic viewer, unlimited modality connections, on-site diagnostic workstation and modality worklist.
Contact us and find out more about what we offer and how you’ll benefit.
