Get in on the Conversation About Deconstructing PACS
It’s definitely not a secret anymore – healthcare providers are stepping away from the traditional view of image
archiving and image sharing as it relates to the standard picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) they’ve used for two decades. We’ve come to an era where deconstructing PACS is an almost daily conversation in healthcare IT circles.
The trend is not really a trend because it’s here to stay. Providers are talking about enterprise imaging and data management systems, many of which are offered through the cloud. We’re on a path that will allow clinicians to access images in a way that will completely alter the way they think about image management.
As it stands now, hospital systems have different PACS in place in just about every department. Unfortunately, some of these systems use a completely different vendor in every department, which means the information becomes proprietary and impossible to share between departments and between facilities. Thanks to the advent of vendor neutral archiving (VNA), we’re able to keep our PACS and utilize them without having to completely replace all the technology throughout our systems.
For many years, radiology has been viewed as the gatekeeper for imaging, but everything has been stored in silos. However, because of the changing landscape of healthcare regulations and reform, there is a greater need for digitizing images and sharing them across platforms. There is not only a need – there are also government regulations that now dictate how information is to be shared. For instance, Meaningful Use has a requirement for radiologists that they must make their exams digitally accessible to patients 24 hours after the completion of the exam. The conversation around deconstructing PACS has been hastened due to this regulation and others like it.
How is your organization addressing enterprise imaging and deconstructing PACS? If you’re a rural facility, your conversations are probably largely about costs and solutions available to you now. Obviously, replacing your entire system is not fiscally prudent. At the same time, you’ve got to live up to the expectations of your patients and the various regulations that govern how you access images and other medical data, including HL7. What many organizations like yours are finding out is that cloud-based solutions offer the relief you’re looking for and the advantage you can have.
Your PACS is probably being asked to do more than it can. However, you still use it and don’t want to throw out something that was a huge investment for your organization. Thanks to VNA technology, you can integrate cloud-based solutions that will not compromise the way you manage your images.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., is a company that has your best interests at heart. Our technology isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, our clients only pay for what they use. What they’re paying for is top-quality image management solutions that give them 24/7 access to their images and disaster recovery protocols that ensure their images will be always be available. Furthermore, we guarantee we can save you money. Contact us today and find out how.