The early days of cloud computing saw its fair share of squeamish users who held the new technology at arms length. However, in recent years, spurred by the efficiencies that are provided in the cloud, medical enterprises are embracing the technology and moving to cloud PACS.
One of the major concerns for healthcare providers is security of patient information. While the cloud technology is still fairly new, it’s been around long enough to prove that patient information can live in the cloud safely and without enough risks to scare away potential suitors. This doesn’t mean cloud PACS vendors are shrugging off security concerns, quite the contrary – the viability of any cloud-based business is highly reliant on continued security measures that keep information safe from prying eyes.
Healthcare providers aren’t only concerned with security – they’re also looking for cloud PACS to
give them the kind of performance that leads to better patient care. Sharing and storing medial images in the cloud has definite advantages, including the ability to get those images to the people who need to see them anywhere at anytime.
Not all cloud PACS are created equal. Before your facility enters into a contract with a vendor, make sure your IT people are on board with the way the cloud PACS vendor works. The migration process can be time consuming and difficult, which means you need to make sure the company you choose to work with has the communication skills as well as the technological skills to take on any challenge in the migration process. They also need to be there after the migration has taken place to help the hospital staff work with the new system.
Most cloud services will require a wide area network connection. If your facility is in a rural area, you need to choose a vendor that specializes in working with rural care facilities that might have limited network resources. Working with a company that specializes in vendor neutral archiving is also something you should have on your checklist. When your images need to be transferred from department to department or from your facility to another, you don’t want to be held up by disparate systems that don’t communicate.
You want the PACS solution that you choose today to work well into the future. You want one with the flexible data storage and disaster recovery processes that will keep you covered. You also should choose a vendor that caters to your operation, especially if you’re in a rural setting where resources are limited.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., has focused on rural facilities since it was founded. The professionals at OffSite are experts in medical images and cloud PACS. If it’s security that still concerns you, keep in mind that OffSite works with Level IV datacenters that ensure your data will be available to you 24/7. Every installation has its own challenges, and OffSite professionals have the technological skill to address each and every one of them.