Medical imaging extends well beyond the reach of radiology or radiologists. Given the uptick in technology surrounding imaging, everyone from orthopedics to neurologists are invested in imaging that gives them a clearer view of what’s going on in the human body. Access to these images isn’t always as easy as they’d like it to be, but cloud PACS have risen to be the solution to these challenges.
Imaging ordered by one doctor will likely be requested by another specialist serving the patient, because patients are increasingly seeking out the care of more than just their primary care physician. This is especially true when the expertise of someone like an orthopedist or oncologist is required to step in. The problem is – they can’t always be granted immediate access, and it’s not because of a HIPAA issue – it’s because technology becomes the roadblock.
Unfortunately, many healthcare providers rely on images burned onto a CD to be pulled up onto their viewer. It’s an incredibly slow way to provide care, and the CDs aren’t always burned correctly or become damaged in transit. It’s an unreliable process at best.
In some cases, redundant imaging is required due to the inaccessibility of the original exam. This also adds to the loss of precious time, not to mention money, in providing the care a patient requires.
A Better Way
Consumers and medical professionals use cloud-based solutions on a daily basis. It only makes sense that the efficiencies found in cloud-based applications also benefit the medical community. Medical imaging has officially caught up to the cloud rage as more providers use cloud PACS as a workaround to the CD burning conundrum.
One of the biggest advantages of using cloud PACS is that it is a single source of information – a repository that doesn’t rely on local servers. Furthermore, when combined with a vendor-neutral archiving solution, the cloud-based solutions also side-step the issues involved with proprietary viewers.
Another advantage is that cloud PACS are scalable. This is a bonus, as medical imaging files are getting larger and the file types are expanding beyond standard DICOM imaging.
Going OffSite
The best cloud PACS vendors offer services that include administrative support, which is a requirement for many critical care facilities that are limited regarding their pool of IT professionals. They also rely on commercial data centers that allow for improved scalability. And because of the security features built into commercial data centers, there are plenty of safeguards clients can rely on for improved image availability.
Be sure to partner with a vendor that offers browser-agnostic viewing, because this will boost your interoperability, regardless of the viewer you’re using. With a secure URL provided to you, all you need is an Internet connection and you can view your images.
At OffSite Image Management, that’s what we offer – total scalability, security and disaster recovery features and browser agnostic viewing. Contact us and let’s discuss which one of our cloud PACS packages will work for you.
