It wasn’t too long ago that radiology professionals relied on light boxes, film, rolloscopes and other
items (that we now view as archaic) to get them through the typical workday. As digital technology became more widely available, vendors began creating solutions that have all but left previous hardware as museum pieces. We’re now at a point in time where everybody is talking about deconstruction PACS and VNA? You’re probably already in the midst of considering this very issue yourself. So, what’s the big deal?
The medical imaging industry is currently undergoing a new paradigm where various components of PACS are being deconstructed into different applications for visualization purposes. Other aspects of this deconstruction include workflow and archiving. However, what is not being deconstructed is the importance of working within the DICOM standard, because it is being used to assist organizations in specializing applications that will improve the workflow and visualization process across departments and across healthcare systems.
PACS came into the healthcare industry more than two decades ago. When they were initially introduced, they had a singular focus when it came to workflow and visualization for the workflow. Some referred to it as “monolithic”. It was a celebrated piece of technology when organizations were first introduced to it. However, it’s become clear that the PACS of yesteryear doesn’t fit the needs of today.
The reason it’s so important to consider the advantages of deconstructing PACS and VNA is that radiologists and physicians are receiving medical images from multiple organizations, which means there are dozens of different user interfaces that they have to learn if they want to view the images. They often don’t even know which viewer to open to see the patient images. It can be really frustrating and it’s something VNA is working to solve.
It’s crucial to note that without VNA (vendor neutral archiving), the sharing portion of deconstruction PACS and VNA would not be possible. For years, organizations were shackled by their choice of taking on a vendor using proprietary hardware and software. With the advent of VNA, organizations are freeing themselves to share their archived imaging data without the normal roadblocks.
Deconstructing PACS and VNA adds value. You can see this quite easily when you consider that you’re bringing together the best solutions for how to handle archiving duties, the way the work flows and how the images are viewed. It’s something IT organizations have sought to gain in their IT imaging solutions and they’re getting it through deconstructing PACS and VNA processes. When it comes to tearing down the walls of traditional PACS, new standards are set for radiology as traditional thinking makes way for more vendor neutral solutions.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., is a company that knows the importance of VNA. We’ve created solutions that give radiologists and physicians unfettered access to the images they need to see to provide better quality healthcare to their patients. However, our solutions aren’t pricing our clients and potential clients out of the solution – we’re working with rural providers with limited budgets to give them top-quality services for a price they can afford.