Bring Vendor Neutral Archiving Into Your 2017 Strategy
There is no way around it – you’re going to need more storage space for your medical images in 2017 than you did in 2016. It’s a trend that’s been consistent for years, and more and more healthcare providers are looking to vendor neutral archiving to assist them.
One of the main reasons vendor neutral archiving had become such a go-to solution in the past is because of the centralized nature of the solution. Healthcare providers were looking for a single repository for their images, and vendor neutral archiving provided that.
However, healthcare facilities nationwide are looking to pit their VNA solutions with their PACS in an effort to both store and share medical images.
Current users as well as prospective users of VNA are seeking out a solution that allows them to better manage internal image sharing. They are also looking for workflow efficiency and cost savings wherever they can get them – and VNA is providing all of that.
Can the cloud-based medical image solutions stack up to this VNA/PACS combo? Increasingly, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Cloud-based VNA solutions have been a huge part of moving large and small providers into a more affordable, usable solution that gives them more control, more accountability and ownership of their images and how they manage workflow.
Anyone in radiology knows how important imaging systems are to their day-to-day processes. They are viewing VNA as their solution for an imaging hub – one where they have the storage flexibility that doesn’t include a one-size-fits-all method that makes them pay for space they aren’t using. However, this doesn’t mean all VNA solutions from every vendor are going to solve every problem. Providers need to look for the vendors that are offering true VNA.
So, what is true VNA? Look for the following:
- Can handle ADT updates to images stored in the archive
- Can store the complete suite of DICOM SOP classes
- Offers context management
- Allows clients to manipulate DICOM tags
- Offers ability to prepare a PACS through HL7 for ingestion of images from other PACS
- Stores all objects in a non-proprietary format understood by community using DICOM part 102
- Supports most inclusive DICOM query/retrieve specification
It’s unfortunate that not all cloud-based vendors are offering the same VNA services that fall under the definition of true VNA, but it only requires a little research to find out which vendors are offering the best solutions that can assist with improving workflow. It’s these vendors that will also offer solutions that provide better access and include mobile access to medical images.
At OffSite Image Management, Inc., we’re operating under the definition of true VNA. Our clients are finding that they have ownership over their images and have total access – 24/7/365. It’s our use of multiple Level IV datacenters that allows this degree of access to images. Furthermore, our scalability efforts mean our clients have unlimited storage and never find themselves wracked with hidden fees. Contact us today and let’s get you started on a VNA solution that will improve your workflow management and accessibility.