Get With the Right Vendor for DICOM Solutions That Work
The health image exchange (HIE) is something healthcare organizations are embracing in larger numbers today.
Hospitals and clinics small and large are utilizing DICOM exchanges to achieve better continuity of care. For real-time access to medical images, the HIE solution is working.
More and more providers today are looking for a way to get access to their images, which are stored securely and under a multitude of disaster recovery protections. They also want to be able to share these images across departments and from one facility to another, regardless of how many miles separate them.
Accessing the images must be easy to accomplish, which is why when you choose an offsite vendor to archive your images, you need to make sure they include a query feature so you can quickly identify images. Furthermore, if you have disparate imaging systems and want to pull all the data from them into one repository, this is something a reputable offsite vendor can give you.
The American College of Radiology and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association established DICOM as the format for handling offline media in radiology many years ago. This level of consistency between healthcare providers means all radiological information can be shared, regardless of the platform being used. This promotes better patient care.
When hospitals use DICOM, they can achieve seamless integration between workstations, printers, network hardware and scanners. This is one of the biggest selling points of a well-managed HIE. In fact, the DICOM exchange of data has become a necessity for providers to overcome problems they’re having with their antiquated PACS. Even some new PACS aren’t giving them everything they need for archiving, accessing and sharing medical images.
Many providers can attest to the fact that they don’t really have a lot of control over their data. It should be one of their key concerns. But to truly gain control, they need a vendor neutral engine behind them. Proprietary solutions aren’t actually solutions – they’re often the roadblock that prevents healthcare professionals from gaining access to what they need to do their jobs.
The best DICOM solutions offer archiving in Level IV data centers, which are among the safest, most secure in the nation. They should have 24/7 access to data, which is password protected. The solution should be incorporated with HL7 standards and backed up continuously. Finally, it should be HIPAA compliant.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., builds its solutions in a vendor neutral archiving format, which means our clients are seamlessly connected to their data and able to share it with whomever they wish. All data can be shared over a secure URL on any viewer. Since the solution is browser agnostic, any workstation can be used to view the data. Members of OffSite’s HIEs have enjoyed a smooth implementation process due to our implementation manuals and employee training. We even go on site to provide the extra assistance needed for a smooth transition. Contact us today so we can discuss your solution.