It doesn’t take long for an enterprise imaging platform to become out of date. The investment made on these solutions may force healthcare providers to hold on to the equipment longer than they otherwise would. But when it becomes time to invest in newer, more modern medical imaging solutions, consider these important tips when choosing your vendor:
- Make sure your vendor knows how you handle your current workflow, how you would prefer to handle it and how their platform will integrate with your mission-critical technology that will remain.
- Updates and upgrades, particularly from a vendor offering cloud-based solutions, should come standard.
- Choose a vendor with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. AI inference models can ease workflow issues and free employees from mundane tasks. It can also assist with scheduling and medical image management.
- Image lifecycle management tools should be robust and do much more than just delete outdated studies. Choose a vendor that offers automated file management.
Departmental Needs
The needs of one department can differ a lot from another. Your medical imaging platform vendor should provide a customized solution that is not a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, some vendors will offer a specific amount of storage at a price, but if you don’t need that much storage, why pay for it? Choose a vendor that offers tiers of storage and will allow you to adjust up or down as needed.
If you’re one of the many healthcare providers looking to update its PACS, don’t pay for things you don’t need. For example, a large provider might need unlimited routing and WADO-EHR integration, whereas a smaller critical access hospital wouldn’t. Some of the best vendors will offer a lower-tier cloud PACS solution that offers all-in-one hybrid technology, hardware, software, import documents, structural reporting and limited storage at an affordable fee.
A mid-size operation might look for something more along the lines of DICOM data coercion, unlimited modality connection and on-site diagnostic workstations in a fully hosted PACS solution. Finding the right vendor means you’re partnering with a company that has your needs in mind and will work to get you what you want rather than what they want to give you.
At OffSite Image Management, we offer a variety of solutions aimed at managing images and non-DICOM data in a more reasonable manner. From our cloud PACS to teleradiology solutions, VNA to mammography technology, you’ll benefit from what we have to offer, and so will your patients. Contact us and find out more about what we offer.