Patients expect their digital medical records and images to be accessible anytime from any authorized care provider.
However, many hospitals still silo access and struggle to enable universal DICOM viewer access across disparate PACS and VNAs.
Frustrated physicians may resort to antiquated processes like printing films or requesting physical media transfers. Without a modern approach, continuity of care suffers greatly.
This post will explore robust solutions to simplify DICOM online workflows. You’ll discover:
- Common challenges hospitals face in enabling seamless DICOM access
- New technologies to centralize image management
- Steps to implement universal, real-time DICOM image availability
Why Existing Systems Fall Short?
Digital imaging platforms like PACS and VNAs were game-changing when first introduced. However, most operate as isolated islands of images and data.
Proprietary platforms and purpose-built viewers lead to data silos. Images get stranded as patients transfer across organizations. Physicians waste hours tracking down scans from other networks.
“Our Radiologists used 3 different systems daily. We desperately needed centralized access.”
—Director of IT, Regional Hospital Group
Too often, providers rely on outdated methods to share images:
- Physically transporting discs
- Printing films
- Emailing files through insecure channels
- Using ad-hoc applications and viewers
These are frustrating band-aids. They introduce:
- Delays that negatively impact diagnoses and treatment decisions
- Gaps resulting in repeat scans and radiation exposure
- Risks of data leakage and HIPAA violations
Let’s explore robust strategies to fix these problems at the root.
New Technologies Centralize Access
Modern platforms leverage powerful medical image management engines to aggregate DICOM content across the enterprise.
Sophisticated tools like ambient grids stitch together siloed archives into unified patient records. Purpose-built viewers provide anywhere access from web browsers and mobile devices.
With the right approach, hospitals can decommission legacy viewers and standardize enterprise-wide. Physicians finally get simplicity.
Centralized medical image platforms enable:
- Instant availability of DICOM images across networks
- Consolidated patient jackets combining images, waveforms, docs
- Intuitive viewers that eliminate complexity
- Single sign-on access from any device
- Zero-footprint operation replacing thick clients
- Effective business continuity and disaster recovery
Now, let’s see this technology in action…
Regional Hospital Group Consolidates DICOM Access
A large hospital group serving over 5 million residents aimed to improve efficiencies by centralizing medical imaging access.
Their imaging landscape had organically grown to include 9 PACS systems in inpatient and outpatient environments. Radiologists depended on four legacy viewers that required Java plugins.
Images became stranded as patients transferred. Physicians wasted hours interfacing between disparate systems.
The Solution: A Unified VNA with Universal Viewer Access
The group adopted a leading VNA solution and ambient grid technology to aggregate DICOM content into a consolidated archive. All images reside in a shared ecosystem, indexed for simple discovery.
A purpose-built, zero-footprint viewer provides intuitive access directly from the EMR or any web browser. The new enterprise viewer has eliminated complexity with:
- Consolidated patient jackets
- Powerful tools like MPR and 3D Reconstruction
- Structured Reports, Key Images, and other advanced features
- Accessible from iOS and Android mobile apps
The Outcomes:
- 98% reduction in repeat scans by eliminating unavailable priors
- >80% drop in CD production and transport
- 35% average productivity gain reported
- 24×7 access from any authorized location
- 99.99% uptime SLA exceeded
Steps to Implement Seamless DICOM Availability
Hospitals can unlock imaging data trapped in siloed systems with the right strategy and technology.
Follow these best practices to consolidate DICOM access across your enterprise:
Step 1: Complete the Current State Assessment
- Map all existing PACS, VNA, and viewer systems
- Identify pain points and gaps
- Define requirements for universal availability
Step 2: Deploy Enterprise VNA
- Aggregate archives into the consolidated repository
- Extract DICOM metadata for a simplified search
- Maintain images in native format
Step 3: Implement Universal Viewer
- Provides unified access directly from EMRs
- Intuitive interface – no complex legacy viewers
- Available on any device – browser, mobile, etc.
Step 4: Monitor Performance
- Manage SLAs for uptime and availability
- Track user adoption and satisfaction
- Identify new opportunities for efficiency
Let’s Discuss Your DICOM Strategy
Enabling physicians with instant access to patient scans across networks is crucial for quality, timely care.
Hospitals can eliminate the complexity and costs of fragmented DICOM systems with modern medical image management platforms.
Are your providers still struggling with multiple legacy viewers and unavailable priors?
My team specializes in consolidating DICOM access across disparate networks. We tackle these challenges daily for leading hospitals nationwide.
