Ever had a patient forget their scans? How about being in the situation where you actually received the CD with the medical imaging on time, but the CD itself wouldn’t work on your system? Let's face it, canceling appointments and surgeries due to “technical difficulties” that lead back to a error prone sharing medium like CDs is just sad. We calculated it, and for canceled surgeries due to missing images, it’s tens of thousands of US dollars that go down the drain in a heartbeat...pun intended. Want to avoid this scenario all together? Stop sharing via CDs, upgrade to the 21st century, and invest in a Cloud based solution so you can access images instantly, by the click of a button.
The Cloud Enables Access
The most effective way to ensure that you always have the images you need is to use a Cloud platform to prepare, store, and share medical imaging studies and radiology reports. Cloud platforms store images on a remote server that can be accessed from anywhere, whether it is your kitchen or the operating room. In fact, a Cloud based solution is much more reliable than an on-premise PACS, which stores images on hardware housed in the hospital. This method often restricts access to only those devices connected to the network and within the walls of the practice.
If you have ever had to stay after hours to finish your reads, you can probably agree that a local onsite PACS doesn't give you very much freedom. Staying late not only impedes on the time you need to refresh and relax your brain, but if you have a family, it can get in the way of making memories. It is a tough choice to make, and we get it. That’s why we are so fond of the Cloud. It enables you to access your medical images anywhere in the world at any time, so long as you have credentials and internet access. It’s safer than relying on CDs that can get lost (which violates HIPAA) or broken (which is just annoying). Your Cloud PACS vendor takes on the responsibility for safeguarding your data behind layers of security measures. This way, you can now be at your child’s football game and do a read during half time. You can go to that concert that you’ve looking forward to, and perform a read during intermission. You can even leave the office early, and read a patient’s image while sitting at your dining room table. The possibilities are endless, because the Cloud doesn’t adhere to a ball and chain relationship like an onsite or local PACS solution. It gives you the freedom to read your images when you want, where you want. Period.
Access Your Patient Images On Any Device
The best Cloud platforms support access to medical imaging studies across any device, including smartphones and tablets. Mobile access within the hospital is invaluable to physicians and especially emergency specialists like surgeons, as it allows them to bring their iPhone or iPad into the operating room. This means you always have the images you need at your fingertips. It puts the power in your hands, and eliminates the risk of surgery being canceled due to unavailable images.
As a physician you have probably more than once felt uncomfortable with the reliability of your Hospital PACS. Depending on which facility or branch the patient visited, if it differs from your current location, you have to hunt for those images in the system by doing extensive detective work. It’s one too many steps, too many clicks, and way too much time for something that should be extremely simple.
Mobility is the key to breaking down barriers to medical imaging studies being available during surgery. Hence, if you are someone who always wants to have critical clinical information at your fingertips, a Cloud-based PACS that supports mobility and accessibility is the right solution for you, Rather than relying on potentially unreliable Hospital IT infrastructure, consider incorporating electronic viewing, sharing and storage of medical images through your own Cloud PACS.
Final Thought
Each practice is unique so it is unfair to completely disregard that option. If it works, and it it suffices your needs - great. However, if you need more out of your solution, in the form of enhanced access, consider the Cloud as your solution for viewing medical images. It breaks the chains and the rigidity associated with your onsite and hospital PACS. It allows you to not only access your images any time and anywhere so long as you have internet access...you can access those images on any device with your credentials. The Cloud can't get scratched or lost, and it provides superior security features to both CDs and onsite hardware. The bottom line is if you are still accessing patient images through CDs, you have the opportunity to upgrade to a much more effective, efficient, and economical solution.
