The holidays are literally right around the corner. Do you really want to stay after hours at the office reading scans? Most likely, probably not. We get it, it can be frustrating having to stay late because you had to wait for a study to arrive via your mail carrier. It’s going on 2018. Sharing medical images to be read by a radiologist should not be so archaic. The Cloud enables radiologists to share, access, and go mobile with their medical images anytime, anywhere - so long as you have internet access. Which overall means that you can read diagnostically approved images from the comfort of your own home without being restricted to your desktop DICOM viewer.
You Already Trust The Cloud
Cloud technology is being implemented into every industry around the world. In fact, you probably are already using it. Services like iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox, Google Drive, as well as your social media accounts are all Cloud based. The overall rule of thumb goes as such, ask yourself “Can I log into this service/app/fill in the blank from any device such as a different computer, tablet, mobile phone?” If the answer is yes, you probably are dealing with a Cloud based structure. So you see, it’s not as mysterious or unfamiliar to you as you might think. You’ve most likely have been using the Cloud to manage your purchases, your thoughts, as well as your memories. So why not entrust the Cloud to help smooth out your workflow as well?
Backup and Security Included
If you are currently reading your images on a desktop DICOM viewer, you are restricting yourself to that single medium. You are essentially handcuffed to that viewing station until you are done performing your reads for the day. That can get daunting and tiresome. A desktop viewer does not grant you any mobility with the way you view images. Not to mention, it doesn’t do a good job of long term storage or sharing of medical images in order to do a live collaboration session with another specialist. Finally, you cannot access that data remotely, from any other location but that one you are currently working at. So what happens if something happens to the practice, imaging center, or hospital you are at? If that viewing station gets destroyed, your data is gone.
The Cloud offers a backup strategy to any disaster. It ensures that your data is safe and secure. Think about it. People that have been victims to monumental disasters like Hurricane Irma and Harvey have lost everything - their home, their possessions, their towns. Yet, even if they lost their mobile phones, the pictures that were taken on them and saved to the Cloud via iCloud or Google Photos - those images can still be accessed.
This enhanced backup process works through data centers, provided that you use a vendor. This setup works well for both single practices as well as multi-location practices. The process differs slightly but essentially when you have multiple data centers, if one is succumbed by a natural or man made disaster the next one will pick up the slack. This is all possible because data centers are never placed near one another, they typically have hundreds of miles between them so that they are not affected by the same disaster.
Final Thought
Being chained to a singular desktop viewing station can be cumbersome and frustrating for radiologists. Especially when then want to get home for the holidays and spend time with their families. The Cloud offers the ability to break those chains and be free to view and diagnose images from any location, on any device so long as you have internet access. It not only gets you a change of scenery, it allows you to get more done. More images read means more referring physicians are getting the pertinent information to treat a growing number of patients. So what are you waiting for? Treat yourself to an improved way to view, access, share and go mobile with your reads.
