How PACS and VNA Combine to Offer Efficiencies in Imaging
The amount of data that is generated by medical imaging is staggering. More and more Americans are seeking out diagnostic imaging specialists to help them with their healthcare needs, and it’s showing. In fact, some healthcare professionals say that finding ways to archive, share and access medical imaging has become one of the biggest challenges in the industry. Vendors are combining PACS and VNA to help solve the problem.
One hospital is Kansas, Sunflower Health Network, Inc., knows these challenges. The organization serves 15 counties in the north central region and one in the south. The populous being served is largely rural. Unfortunately, the 17 facilities in the network were using different methods of archiving and sharing medical images, which caused some inconsistency, but many were utilizing CD burning technology to archive and share images.
Anyone who has been involved with diagnostic imaging long enough knows that when CD burning technology hit the scene years ago, it was a significant improvement over film. However, the technology wasn’t and isn’t cheap, and it takes up a lot of space, as do the CDs as they accumulate throughout the years. Furthermore, it’s not uncommon for technologists to wait in line to have their images burned to a CD. The ultimate downside to CD burning is that they are easily lost, which represents a HIPAA risk, and they sometimes don’t burn correctly.
Many providers rely on their PACS to be the repository for medical imaging and to be the medium through which images can be shared from one department to the next, or to one facility from another. Unfortunately, most of these PACS are being asked to do more than they can handle. Therefore, PACS and VNA have become a common partner in medical imaging.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., has engineered a solution that replaces CD technology with a PACS and VNA solution that utilizes the cloud. It’s called Virtual CD, and it’s something the Sunflower network is making great use of today. With this solution, images can be shared from one provider to another, just like with the CDs, but with Virtual CD, medical professionals use a secure URL. There is no longer the risk of losing CDs, issues related to storing CDs, or time spent on CDs that burn improperly.
OffSite approaches PACS and VNA with a focus on the cloud. We take images from clients just like Sunflower and upload them to multiple Level IV datacenters where disaster recovery redundancies are in effect. This means that regardless of what’s going on in your region, whether it’s a hurricane, fire, tornado or any other natural disaster, your images are locked away safely, yet always available.
Sunflower has successfully made the transition from CD burning to OffSite’s cloud-based solution. The ability of professionals at the facility to provide a more consistent transition of care has been significantly improved. To find out how OffSite can improve the way you archive, access and share images, contact us today.