Hospitals everywhere are experiencing a need for better systems to organize and store their medical images. There are also many healthcare facilities that worry about the security of their images and data that resides in the cloud.
An estimated 90-plus percent of hospitals said they would be better off with an automated system that integrates seamlessly into PACS while also transmitting images and data to the professionals that need to see them. Roughly half of all medical professionals are not fully content with the IT systems currently in place at their medical facilities because of security concerns, especially when it involved sharing patient data through cloud-based services.
Many radiology departments are the first to handle images coming in from other departments or other 
facilities. These images are then entered into the PACS through manual processes. Radiology departments don’t always integrate into PACS; some still rely on on-site storage for their image management needs. The problem with this scenario is that images are often misplaced or trashed, which means the patient has to reschedule another appointment with radiology.
The management of outside images has been on the list of frustrating processes for many healthcare facilities for a number of years. Facilities that find a vendor to address these issues with a highly organized and automated system are extremely pleased with the outcome. Unorganized systems don’t take into account the special needs of short-term storage. For instance, valuable space is often taken up by images of patients who weren’t ever admitted to the facility. These are images that should be put into a separate archive for elimination later.
Radiology processes are more efficient now that digital imaging is the norm, but there are still some inefficient practices being carried out by some healthcare professionals. About one-fifth of emergency department staff say they will actually carry images by hand to the physicians that need them. Roughly 90 percent of medical images that are needed for non-emergency cases are filtered through a PACS system. While the PACS systems have been of great use, there are some delays involved in the process, which don’t reflect well on the time it takes to deliver quality care.
Outside images of patients are most often associated with those seeking treatment for cancer, stroke, trauma and surgery. What doctors determine by looking at these images is extremely important. They need the type of system that can deliver them to the right place without delay, and with the utmost security measures that protects patient data. Hospital resources are better handled with automated systems that require little work on behalf of the hospital’s IT staff; are easy for medical professionals to navigate; have disaster recovery plans implemented and can be stored safely with 24/7 access.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., offers everything medical professionals need to effectively manage their medical images. The off site data storage and business continuity solutions at OffSite provide clients with the confidence that their data will be protected and immediately accessible. OffSite also offers many alternative access channels through which authorized personnel can pull up images at any time.