How to benefit from your PACS being in the cloud

A PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) combines different devices to digitize and store motion pictures. The storage requirements for the physical film were high before PACS. As a result of its ease of use and low cost, digital PACS is far superior to physical storage.

The necessity to cut costs is more important than ever as the cost of operating on-site systems increases. PACS systems on-site are now being replaced by Cloud PACS, which can be accomplished by shifting data from a conventional server to a cloud-based storage system. A cloud-based PACS can offer high-quality systems with flexible configurations. Hardware can be housed without the need for expensive hardware and square footage.

Benefits of Cloud-Based PACS

Cost

These systems are slowly being incorporated into medical practices’ new-generation radiology systems as they begin to realize their benefits. A great number of practices, imaging centers, or hospitals that have implemented Cloud PACS have experienced a significant reduction in costs. It is no longer necessary to provide space and keep the onsite data center powered with uninterruptible power supplies and HVAC systems. Cloud providers are now responsible for data backup and recovery.

Access and Patient Care

Using cloud-based PACS solutions provides doctors with access to medical records located outside of their hospital’s network. A physician can have a closer look at the patient’s symptoms by accessing files from anywhere at any time if internet access is available. Collaboration between Radiologists can greatly reduce the workload of an individual Radiologist. Patients no longer have to worry about the location of their medical records.

In addition to reducing the Radiologist’s workload, more time can be spent on the patient, improving the quality of care. The administrator of a secure PACS can save money by spending less time managing physical systems.

Environmental

The environment will also benefit from these changes. Lowering the carbon emissions produced by on-site data centers will decrease the amount of energy required to operate, cool, and eventually dispose of these systems. PACS on the cloud help organizations fulfill their social responsibility through lower energy demands.

Adoption Fears Overcome

Security protocols and disaster management for cloud-based servers remain a concern for healthcare providers. The apprehension and fear can be alleviated by ensuring that implemented Cloud PACS systems adhere to documented HIPAA rules and Health-Level 7 (HL7) transmission protocols ensuring data encryption.

Conclusion

Medical practices must shift to adopt innovative technology that supports the result of better patient care in order to keep up with the growing needs of patients. PACS administrators, doctors, and patients all benefit from using cloud-based PACS servers.

Abstract

The goal of cloud-based services is to provide easy and scalable access to computing resources and IT services. Healthcare requires a private cloud that adheres to government mandates for ensuring the privacy and security of patient data while enabling authorized users to access the cloud. Cloud computing in the imaging market has evolved from providing disaster recovery services for archived data to offering fully featured PACS and vendor-neutral archiving solutions that cater to the needs of healthcare providers of all sizes. Globally, healthcare providers are now using the cloud to deliver images to remote radiologists with advanced reading tools, deliver radiology reports and imaging studies to referring physicians, and store redundant data. Using vendor-managed cloud services eliminates the need for expensive equipment and maintenance, as well as staffing for the data center, reducing the healthcare provider’s total cost of ownership.