You’ve been seeing the impact vendor-neutral archiving (VNA) has had on the healthcare community for a while now and you’re finally in the market for a VNA solution of your own. Or maybe you already have been working with a VNA solution but have realized it is time for something new that is a better fit for the needs of your radiology team. What do you look for, and which vendor is going to get a “true” VNA solution into your hands?
There are many VNA solutions on the market today, so the following are some things to consider as you embark on your search:
DICOM and Non-DICOM Compatibility
A true VNA solution will handle DICOM and non-DICOM formats. The way healthcare has evolved, your VNA needs to be able to handle data coming from many different places and in many different formats. This includes data derived from pathology, which would include microscopy images, JPEGs from any department and even video is being supported by some vendors of VNA solutions.
Implementing a Zero-Footprint Viewer
When you want quick and unfettered access to images, the zero-footprint viewer is key. Your vendor should be able to integrate the VNA solution with your electronic medical records, which gives you immediate access to images and other data on just about any browser or authorized device. This is a vast improvement for organizations that have previously had to install software on every viewing device in order to gain access to images.
Integrating Other Solutions
How current solutions integrate to a new VNA solution will vary from organization to organization, but there needs to be some forethought to this aspect of the process. Once you narrow down your list to a few potential options, ask vendors to give you the rundown on what solutions you currently use that will be interoperable with their VNA. The non-proprietary nature of VNA should take care of this for the most part, but it is definitely something to inquire about.
The Migration Pattern
Partner with the wrong vendor and you could see data migration costs go through the roof, so that’s a major concern that needs to be addressed. Your VNA solution also needs to be flexible and scalable so you can maintain functionality even as your amount of data grows.
At OffSite Image Management, we’ve led the way in VNA solutions for years. When other vendors talk about VNA, we talk about “true” VNA, which means our solution is capable of storing an entire suite of DICOM SOP classes. Our solution also brings context management into the fold and gives our clients access to ADT updates to image files stored in the archive. Contact us today and let’s talk about how our VNA brings value to users.
