(Kansas City, Mo., originally published November 17, 2011) – Northwest Health Services has acquired digital imaging, sharing and data security capabilities at its new facility in Mound City, MO, making it the first of the company’s clinics in northwest Missouri to feature full PACS and Disaster Recovery solutions, provided through OffSite Image Management, Inc. (OIM).
Founded as a non-profit healthcare provider more than 25 years ago, Northwest Health Services also serves the Missouri communities of St. Joseph, Savannah, Oregon, King City, Hamilton, Cainsville and Braymer. The Mound City facility’s onsite digital X-Ray service allows for immediate 24/7 access to its radiological images, their secure storage and the safe transfer of such images to outside professional interpretation services, even in the event of unplanned failures or disasters. The benefits of this capability are clear and compelling, according to Justin Copeland, Northwest’s chief information officer.
“I think the benefits of moving toward digital radiology are that we have full access to our images while being able to distribute them more easily to those parties who participate in the care of our patients,” he said. “Given that we have remote facilities, being able to just FTP or transfer those digital images across the network allows us to have the X-ray read and information back to the patient much more quickly. In addition, patients can now avoid redundant imaging costs when seeking medical opinions from other providers.”
OIM’s services allow Northwest to maintain secure copies of its digital images at Offsite’s data center, ensuring full data recovery in the event of a disaster. “And that’s a huge benefit,” Copeland said.
The experience at Mound City has Northwest’s eye on the future with Offsite and the services it provides. “With all the benefits of digital radiology, the disaster recovery component, plus the PACS environment, it makes perfect sense for us to build and grow that relationship,” he said.
Lasha Dalakishvilli, Chief Executive Officer of OffSite Image Management, Inc., values the developing partnership with Northwest Health Services as it moves toward supporting digital radiology at additional sites. From its inception, Offsite’s focus has been to provide exceptional customer value through customized solutions in storage and business continuity, as well as a flexible, case-by-case approach to reducing customer costs through greater organizational proficiency.
About OffSite Image Management Systems
Launched in 2007 in St. Joseph, MO, OffSite serves the Data Storage, Business Continuity, and Disaster Recovery needs of healthcare facilities in various shapes and sizes, including teleradiology service providers. Offsite solutions include, but are not limited to, DR, workflow continuity, data migration, and providing PACS services. For additional information, visit www.offsiteimagemgt.com/ or contact Lasha Dalakishvili at lashad@offsiteimagemgt.com/.