Why DICOM is Important to the NFL.

DICOM: The Most Reliable Way to Share Images

Forbes estimates that the National Football League (NFL) generates revenues of approximately $10 billion per year. This is money that fans spend on teams that have sought out, trained and pumped up some of the best athletes in the world. To keep the franchises afloat, they need to keep these world-class athletes healthy, which is why radiology is so important to every team. Therefore, DICOM is also important.

According to a Radiology Today article, two NFL stadiums are equipped with MRI scanners to quickly assess the injury to players in on-field collisions. Furthermore, NFL trainers are using web-based PACS and EMR to quickly assess DICOM images. These glimpses into the player’s internal issues allow for the quick decisions that are made, which can have an impact on a team’s season and the player’s entire career.

Every NFL team has had X-ray machines in their stadiums for years now, and they all meet the requirements that physicians and radiologists require to make accurate diagnoses. It’s rare that at least one player won’t be put under the examination of one of these machines on game day. However, the industry standard today is DICOM (digital imaging and communication in medicine), which allows for the storing, printing, transmission and handling of information in medical imaging. It’s important to the NFL, and it’s important to every radiologist and medical professional that relies on medical imaging.

There are fewer image analysis delays with DICOM, which means physicians can make more accurate and faster diagnoses that will greatly impact the patient. The DICOM standard really took off in the 1990s, and today just about every image device/modality used in radiology supports the DICOM standard.

Ophthalmology, dermatology, pathology and endoscopy are areas that are starting to implement the DICOM standard as they see an increased need due in part to electronic health record requirements. DICOM has also become increasingly important to the NFL, especially since 2012 when the league adopted stricter rules regarding head trauma/concussion. They are now using cone beam CT to help detect brain injuries, giving even more credence to the importance of DICOM in the sport.

It’s not just the elite NFL players who benefit from DICOM – even the least-gifted player on a rural eight-man football team who suffers an injury can benefit from the same technology as the multi-million dollar professional athlete. Cloud-based vendors are stepping up to offer services that connect the most rural medical facilities with the best image management solutions.

One such vendor is OffSite Image Management, Inc. We understand the importance of the DICOM standard, and we also know that patients everywhere deserve the same services that NFL players get on a routine basis. We offer business continuity and disaster recovery solutions, access to images through secure URLs, archiving services and much more. To find out more about how we can save you money while boosting your services, contact us today.