There is no going back to the way data used to be generated in the field of radiology. Technology has evolved at such a rate that image files are comparably massive to images in the past. And while all that data has its advantages, it causes more than a few challenges for many, which is why vendor neutral archiving (VNA) is being looked at as a go-to solution.
Impeded workflow is one of the most commonly discussed pain points where big data is concerned. Not only is the data difficult to migrate, it is also frequently difficult to share from one department to another, which is often due to proprietary viewer issues. VNA seeks to make these problems a non-issue.
More Than Just Imaging
The VNAs being built by credible vendors today do more than just store and distribute images. They’re integrating VNA to other solutions, such as integration into your electronic medical records (EMR). So, it’s more than just an image solution, because there is plenty of medical data that is not image related.
Patients are taking a more active role in their healthcare, which is made easier with EMR. What hasn’t been easy for healthcare providers is that when non-imaging data is ingested into a PACS, it won’t present correctly. However, VNA addresses this problem and solves it, because it will allow for the correct presentation of DICOM and non-DICOM data.
Avoiding Disaster
The more you rely on digitized data, the more at risk you are of attack and to the destruction that could occur with a natural disaster. As for the cyber security issue, there are many high-profile situations where patient data has been compromised. This can lead to hefty fines, not to mention staining the reputation of the institution that got hacked.
Make sure your VNA vendor has disaster recovery solutions and cyber security tools in place, so your data doesn’t fall victim to circumstance. Look at their track record to see how they’ve responded to various disasters. Look at their ability to migrate data affordably and at a fast pace.
Choosing the Right Vendor
Some vendors say they offer VNA, but it’s not true VNA. True VNA means you have all the tools you need to handle many types of image files. The right vendor will offer complete DICOM tools, which means you can store the complete suite of DICOM SOP classes. All objects in a non-proprietary format will be understood by the community at large. The right vendor will handle ADT updates to the image files stored in the archive and they will support the most inclusive DICOM query/retrieve specification as a service provider for the information stored in the archive at all information levels.
That’s what we offer at OffSite Image Management, so contact us and let’s discuss how we can create a more effective workflow for you at a reduced cost.
