Cloud technology is being used around the world. Updates to operating systems no longer require a CD – everything comes over the Internet or “through the cloud”. It wasn’t long ago that medical professionals feared the cloud, feared breaking compliance regulations and accruing high priced fines for security leaks. While compliance issues are always a concern, there is no reason to fear the cloud, especially when your vendor uses Level IV datacenters.
Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are the repository for medical images that healthcare providers have relied on for years. Increasingly, providers are looking at vendor neutral archiving (VNA) to assist them in making their PACS more of a part of a customized solution that helps share data. Now, these same professionals are looking for ways to move their data across enterprises, which means PACS and VNA are often spoke in the same breath among radiologists and medical IT personnel.
There is also much talk about deconstructing PACS and VNA. The reason for this is because the medical imaging domain is in the middle of a transition. Specific components of PACS are being deconstructed into applications that can be used more efficiently to visualize images, provide better workflows and handle archiving tasks more effectively. Of course, when talking about medical imaging, one has to consider the DICOM standard, particularly where the web-based processes come into play. With the deconstruction of PACS and VNA, providers are looking forward to faster imaging solutions in areas of the healthcare profession that have historically been underserved.
PACS have been around for two decades. Technology has changed many times over since PACS were first delivered to providers. Obviously, these relics are now being asked to do much more than they were originally intended to do, which is why VNA has become such an integral part of the process. We still want our PACS to store images, manage workflow and control access to the display of images. However, as we have become a more global society and as our patients are seeking treatment from more than one doctor or specialist at any given time, the ability to share medical images and data across disparate systems is a major focus of many healthcare providers.
OffSite Image Management founders have experience in just about every job in the radiology space. We know the struggles that facilities of all sizes face, especially the rural providers that are often limited in their resources, yet need robust PACS and VNA solutions. Our solutions involve true VNA technology that gives our clients the ability to archive and access medical images whenever and wherever they need them.