Industries of all types are moving to cloud-based solutions. Compared to on-premise solutions, cloud computing is cheaper, more efficient and more secure.
This is true of the cloud computing for radiology departments as well. Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are also moving to the cloud, and bringing with them tremendous value.
Cloud PACS are being rapidly adopted by radiology departments because of the simplification they bring to storing and sharing images. Cloud computing is so popular among healthcare facilities today that some estimate the market will grow from the $2 billion mark it’s at today to around $6.5 billion in 2018. The reason behind this growth is due in part to the mobile apps available in cloud PACS technology.
Another reason is that medical imaging takes up a massive amount of space. By some estimation, medical images are responsible for nearly 30 percent of data being stored in data centers. It’s easier to comprehend when you think of the amount of data a small, 100-bed hospital generates in one year. With up to 50,000 radiology exams over a year, that’s about five terabytes of data that needs to be stored – and that’s only for a small hospital.
Radiologists rely on secure cloud networks to share their images. It’s a critical component of their work – sharing with other specialists and doctors across the campus or across the state. But it also has to be carried out in a secure manner, which cloud solutions are able to ensure.
Image and data sharing are actually complex procedures, but cloud PACS seek to make it easy on the user. It’s not uncommon for medical facilities without the latest technology to lose their images and have to reschedule appointments with radiologists to retake the scans. This is costly for the patient and it doesn’t offer them very efficient care. Cloud PACS eliminates the probability of losing images because they live in a secure environment in the cloud where they’re backed up and available 24/7.
Cloud PACS also offers disaster recovery solutions that are not only a provision of HIPAA, but also offer assurances to patients and their doctors who depend on those images to make diagnoses and prescribe a course of action that leads to improved wellness.
Healthcare professionals require scalability in today’s environment. Cloud networks offer that. Through the cloud, networks are capable of adding on various new services as needed. Many working with cloud PACS find that they are able to establish more efficient work flows.
Another efficiency is one related to cost. One facility saw a 40-plus percent decrease in costs related to study management, which represents a savings in the millions of dollars. Another medical facility said it expects to save around $30 million over an eight-year period after switching to the cloud.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., created a turn-key PACS solution that utilizes vendor-neutral archiving. OffSite is the responsive partner that services clients with features that help them build their business. Their solution offers zero client administration and automatic upgrades to workstations. Clients have full mobility and work off of roaming desktops.