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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” opined Benjamin Franklin. While the Founding Father may not have been speaking quite so literally, it’s an idea that will feel familiar to many healthcare professionals. We advise patients to eat well and exercise regularly, even when they’re in the best of health, knowing the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term inconveniences.

Healthcare providers too should find some wisdom in Franklin’s words. A record storage system is a virtual necessity in our data-driven world, yet it’s one that too many practices overlook. A safe, secure cloud-based system offers many advantages for practitioners and patients alike, but some still balk, citing the fear of expense. 

Horos is a rich medical image viewer, with advanced visualization settings that make it a formidable option for people looking to view medical images on their Mac computer. This free open-source software has features found in many high-priced commercial image viewers, making it attractive for many applications involving desktop viewing and investigating even the most complex DICOM studies quickly and efficiently.

If you've been following our blog, you know by now that providing patients with electronic access to their medical images is cheaper and more efficient than burning and delivering CD copies. Giving patients online access to their images also offers many additional marketing benefits for your practice and easier access for your patients.

There's still a cost for this service, but you can expect it to be less than providing CDs. In either case, more and more providers and hospitals are integrating a HIPAA charge for medical records to help cover the expenses incurred by providing patients with copies of their images.

As a patient who may have recently received the news of a complex or life-threatening diagnosis, it can be extremely difficult to know what to do next. It is important to absorb as much guidance and knowledge as possible during this uncertain time, and seeking a second opinion is an important step in the process. 

When you're confronted with a complex or critical health care diagnosis, you may be scared or confused by the prognosis or treatment recommended. This is often the time patients seek another opinion. Generations ago, patients relied on their personal physicians to make all their healthcare-related decisions. But no single physician is infallible, and most decisions are better when scrutinized by another informed source.

As a patient, when and how do you go about getting a second opinion?