Health Image Exchange and VNA: What is it, Really?.

How VNA Can Improve the Health Image Exchange

Healthcare providers need an easier way to share, archive and access medical imaging. Vendor-specific PACS are causing roadblocks as providers demand more of their imaging systems. The move to health image exchange solutions that rely on vendor neutral archiving (VNA) technology looks increasingly to be the answer for cloud-based archiving, access and sharing.

Healthcare IT experts are predicting that VNA will be in such demand that the market will jump to $210 million by 2018. That prediction nearly doubles what the industry saw in 2011 when revenues were $110 million. While the VNA market is significantly smaller than the traditional PACS market, it’s obvious that this technology is providing the kind of value that providers require.

Approximately one-third of the hospitals in America have adopted VNA with an additional nearly 20 percent planning to do so in the near future, according to a study by BridgeHead Software. The reason so many are flocking to VNA is because of its ability to handle many types of images and without vendor specific roadblocks. It has become increasingly important for healthcare providers to have the ability to handle image files from multiple departments and from other facilities, and this is something VNA can do that most PACS cannot.

In essence, VNA separates archival functionality from PACS. Anyone who has gone through a migration of data from one system to another knows how time-consuming and expensive it is. VNA minimizes the need for future migrations and makes sharing images easier because it separates the imaging layer from the archiving layer.

What frustrates most PACS users is the fact that when importing data from a PACS, the vendor has to handle the translation of that data, which means the account control is in the hands of the vendor. Most providers want more autonomy, which is another perk that VNA can offer, especially in a health image exchange scenario.

Regulations now require that radiologists share their medical image examination reports electronically, and within 24 hours of the exam. VNA is assisting these professionals in complying with these regulations. Stage 2 of Meaningful Use, which outlines the regulations, does not actually require VNA in a health image exchange, but providers are finding their ability to share images across disparate systems is vastly improved using VNA.

The definition of VNA differs depending on whom you ask. If you’re considering joining a health image exchange, make sure you fully understand the vendor’s definition of VNA and that you’ll be granted all the perks that true VNA has to offer.

OffSite Image Management, Inc. has unlocked the potential of true VNA and is spearheading efforts to improve health image exchanges in several states. For more information about our approach, contact us today.