img_disasterPicture archiving and communication systems (PACS) were developed to provide better access to medical imaging with fewer hassles than what is experienced with film or CDs. Unfortunately, obsolescence is something that just about any medical facility’s IT department faces when working with an old PACS.

Any PACS solution that doesn’t have adequate disaster recovery protection is putting the medical facility at great risk. In many cases, healthcare IT professionals are looking for a vendor neutral system that offers a number of options with archiving and sharing abilities. As more medical images are shared between facilities, it’s become more important to seek out a vendor neutral PACS that can avoid the roadblocks that come up with non-vendor neutral systems.

When medical facilities seek out the best PACS system, they’re looking for vendors that offer redundant archiving. Storing images in a single silo opens the door for complete loss should a disaster occur. For instance, if a hospital stores everything in a data center in Florida and a hurricane wipes out that center, anything in that center is probably never going to be recovered. However, if a hospital picks two or more areas of the country to store its data, it’s unlikely that simultaneous acts of nature will occur in all areas.

The best PACS system combines redundancies and vendor neutral processes that allow doctors and specialists to share and view medical images from anywhere, whether it’s a desktop in the office or a smart phone on the go. The faster a doctor or specialist can view the image, the better equipped they are with the information they need to make a diagnosis and suggest a course of treatment.

As rural areas experience growth, the PACS needs to grow along with healthcare facility. A PACS system that is largely positioned in the cloud allows for a number of growth opportunities because it’s not limited to the current hardware in the facility. Most vendors can offer more storage space with Level IV data centers that include redundancies and near 100 percent up time. Additionally, these data centers are also equipped with security measures that protect the most sensitive data, which is especially important for hospitals that face massive fines for violating HIPAA regulations.

The days of storing medical imaging on-site are gone, thanks in large part to the efficiencies that cloud PACS offer, not only in safety but in costs. Some vendors will offer a solution that only requires the facility to pay for what they use instead of a flat fee. This is really important for the rural facilities that have limited resources yet need the same level of quality as any other healthcare facility.

OffSite Image Management, Inc., is one such vendor that gives rural hospitals the access they need to quality solutions that fit their limited budgets. We have built the PACS solution that will support hospitals today and for years to come. Our company understands the business challenges that hospitals face and we have come up with a solution to those challenges. OffSite does all the heavy lifting so you can focus on offering the best patient care possible.