Electronic health record security is a point of contention
for many radiology departments tasked with managing gigabyte after gigabyte of
data, working to maintain a level of security while keeping workflow from
becoming anything close to impeded. VNA
is getting nods as a solution for keeping everything moving safely at the right
pace.
One of the most-cited perks for using VNA is the ability for multiple users to
access information from anywhere. Computed tomography, ultrasound, digital
radiology and MRI files are some of the most commonly accessed file types for
radiologists and specialists using PACS and VNA. Cloud
PACS are particularly helpful in allowing organizations to be flexible in
their growth, but there is also the security component to consider – the best
vendors include disaster recovery and business continuity tools to the mix,
creating an extra layer or two of security.
The Road to True VNA
There was a time when radiologists didn’t have common standards to follow.
For example, there wasn’t an American College of Radiology (ACR) or Digital
Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard to follow. This meant
the communicating from modality to modality was only possible if you had the
same equipment manufacturer across the board. It wasn’t just held to
communication – there were also workstations that had to be made by the same
manufacturer as well as the PACS if there was going to be any interoperability.
And while new standards have cleared up some of the issues involving
transparency and interoperability, there remains a segment of radiologists who
are still shackled to proprietary viewers and other hardware that doesn’t “make
friends” with disparate hardware. This is where VNA can really shine.
All PACS have their own internal formats to store data, which means at a base
level, it’s a proprietary situation. This means that when you switch to a
different PACS vendor, you have to migrate data in the new format. Anyone who
has done this before can attest to the cost involved here. However, with VNA as
your application engine, you are able to handle data faster, as it is often
positioned between the modality and the PACS. It’s essentially decoupling the
workstations and PACS at an archival layer.
Cloud-Based Solutions
Some of the most talked about VNA solutions today are being offered in the
cloud. Vendors offering true VNA in this method should be able to not only store,
but also retrieve data from any PACS vendor and migrate between storage
platforms from any storage vendor. It’s not only painless, it’s cost-effective.
Rather than be left out from top-quality solutions, OffSite Image Management
gives critical care hospitals, rural hospitals and specialty clinics some of
the best radiology solutions on the market, and without a markup. If you’re
looking for ways to improve your workflow and your security, contact us and let’s talk about how we
can save you money and step up your services.
