Healthcare professionals are the ones that are subject to the most paranoia surrounding cloud computing.
It was more common years ago than it is today, but more and more providers are seeing the benefits of taking to the cloud.
What started as a multi-million dollar industry four or five years ago has blossomed into a billion dollar industry today. The increasing popularity of the cloud comes because of the efficiency at which medical images can be stored, accessed and shared – all at a cost savings and without sacrificing security.
For picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), there are a host of benefits for going to the cloud. Check out this informational video if you want a quick tutorial on the evolution of cloud PACS over the last three decades.
Look at the difference between the old way of storing and sharing images – CDs, and todays cloud PACS. With CD burning technology, you were able to put multiple images on one disc, which was really great when it first came out, but you also had to store that disc someplace secure. How many times did your patient lose that CD, compromising their privacy? Worse yet, how many CDs were lost due to your staff? That was another inconvenience that had the potential for big fines.
With cloud PACS, you don’t have to make room for your medical images or worry about losing them because they’re stored in the cloud, offsite where data center technicians do all the server maintenance.
Who suffers when your medical imaging can’t get to the place it needs to be in a timely manner? That’s right; it’s your patients who are getting hit with the side effect of slow service. With cloud PACS, all a doctor or specialist needs is a workstation, tablet computer or smartphone, and Internet access and they can view the image immediately from wherever they are. This means they can quickly assess the situation and begin a course of treatment that will get the patient on the road to recovery.
Armed with new technology, even the small, rural providers can be as mighty as the biggest providers. Just because you have a lack of human resources and a lack of capital doesn’t mean your patients have to get less than excellent care. Using the cloud offers the efficiencies that these small providers long for in their goal to provide better patient care. With more than 2,000 critical care hospitals strewn across rural areas of the country, there is plenty of opportunity to gain from cloud advantages.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., is leading the way as an innovative provider of cloud PACS solutions. We focus on rural providers who don’t have many resources and give them quality solutions at a cost they can afford. With our PACS solutions, rural providers are just as connected as their bigger counterparts in urban areas. If you’re struggling with sharing and storage issues and antiquated technology contact us today and find out how we can bring you the tools to offer better patient care.