New Technology Trend Involves Going Browser Agnostic
As technology improves, so too should the workflow of radiology departments. It’s not uncommon today for
radiologists and healthcare IT departments to have their guidelines laid out through the Meaningful Use objectives as well as the ICD-10 procedure coding system. Keeping up with the technology required to meet these regulations can be a challenge, which can be reduced by changing to browser agnostic.
Not surprisingly, many radiologists and radiation oncologists are having some issues with the Meaningful Use requirements, the number one complaint of which is that the requirements are cumbersome. However, providers are getting more involved with workflow to iron out the issues. HIMSS has some resources to offer more insights regarding best practices, workflow and change management.
HIMSS is also updating their resources on ICD-10 implementation. For more information about the coding situation, consult with the HIMSS publication called the ICD-10 Playbook. Furthermore, HIMSS is sponsoring ongoing webinars, forum events and will have a pre-conference symposium before the annual conference this year.
Providers are also considering browser agnostic viewers to get around the issues they’re experiencing with accessing medical imaging coming from disparate systems, either from other departments or from other hospitals. Going with a browser agnostic system can actually change the way physicians and radiologists access medical imaging. Physicians need access to reports and images, and they aren’t all going to be using the same device. Some might have an Android smartphone or a laptop or an iPad – regardless of the viewer; it must be able to display the data. A browser agnostic solution will offer this to physicians.
The best cloud-based archiving and sharing solutions are being offered through vendors who have embraced true vendor neutral archiving (VNA), which also utilizes browser agnostic solutions. VNA and browser agnostic solutions combined give healthcare providers a one-two punch that helps them get over the hurdles found in proprietary solutions.
If you’re in the market for a cloud-based solution that takes the pressure off your IT staff, consider a vendor that offers true VNA technology. True VNA will support all objects in a non-proprietary format that can be understood by all healthcare providers, thus eliminating the problems you might currently have sharing images with other hospitals, or even on PACS in other departments. True VNA also provides context management and the ability manipulate DICOM tags.
The fact is, no matter how efficient your PACS is right now, there are limitations to the way it can manage your workflow. The most common complaint is that the PACS won’t share images with other departments (or other facilities), and it can’t migrate studies to other hospitals. Rather than replace your entire system, consider a cloud-based provider of archiving services. Furthermore, choose a provider that can offer their services with browser agnostic technology.
OffSite Image Management, Inc. is a company that is writing the book on true VNA technology and browser agnostic imaging. Our services offer a cloud-based archiving structure that also puts providers in touch with images they need, 24/7. Find out more about our services by contacting us today.