In tough economic times, virtually every industry is affected and the healthcare industry is certainly not immune. For critical access hospitals already strained in financial and personnel resources, the decline can come quickly, even in times of economic stability. North Adams Regional Hospital in Massachusetts closed suddenly earlier this year, stunning the local community that relied on it for their healthcare needs.
One of the things going against North Adams was the fact that it had not earned CAH status due to being less than 25 miles from the nearest emergency department and because it had 36 beds instead of the 25 bed maximum. However, hospitals that have embraced the latest technologies, including cloud PACS, have
found a way to streamline their operations and have a better chance of weathering the tough economic times.
Healthcare professionals are constantly looking for ways to improve the services they provide to patients, but not at the expense of risking the viability of their facility. For instance, radiologists jumped on the CD burning bandwagon when it first came available. They suddenly had the means by which they could store many medical images on each disc, easily mail them or pass them on to patients who could then take them to their referred physicians. While the CDs offered a newer, more convenient method of storing and sharing medical images, it presented some drawbacks; the CDs didn’t always burn correctly and patients and sometimes-healthcare professionals easily lost them.
What has emerged as a more efficient method is cloud PACS. The relatively new technology offers the streamlined processes that can take the strain off hospital staff and provide patients with faster diagnoses. All a provider needs is secure Internet access and a workstation. They can move away from the bulky and expensive CD burning technology and never have to worry about physically storing their medical data on-site again. For hospitals struggling to stay afloat, cloud PACS is definitely a life preserver.
What hospitals need is a system through which they have zero administration responsibilities, which is what is offered in cloud PACS. This is crucial for rural facilities that struggle to pull in the caliber of IT staff to maintain complex PACS. However, with a cloud PACS solution, no administrative duties are required. Instead of toiling with upgrades, everything is taken care of by the cloud PACS vendor. Furthermore, once connected, providers have complete mobility – extending their viewing capabilities to handheld devices.
If your facility is focused on efficiency, cloud PACS should be your next move. The migration of data is quick and painless, offering little downtime and more reliable uptime once the solution is operational.
The solutions provided at OffSite Image Management, Inc., including cloud PACS, give rural facilities the reprieve they need, not only with budget issues, but with providing rural patients quality customer care. In fact, at OffSite, we learned our trade through our experience at rural hospitals. We are aware of the needs of critical care and small hospitals and we’ve tailored our solutions to fit the budget of any provider. Whether you’re a provider big or small, we’ve got the technology that can offer you the solution you need.