201304 Open Access - American College of Radiology

"When it comes to sharing X-rays, ultrasounds, and other images, an information gap exists. With no widespread digital networks for sharing images, patients often bear the burden of obtaining and transporting their images from one provider to the next. Typically that process requires the provider who captured the images to burn them to a CD or print them out on plain film, which the patient must then carry to his next provider. Not only is this an archaic and expensive way to share images in this day of digital transmission, but it also leaves a great deal to chance. CDs and films can be lost or damaged, or the receiving providers may simply be unable to open a specific type of file. While regional electronic health record (EHR) exchanges, databases that allow providers to share patient records in digital formats, have been established in some locations to make image transmission and medical record sharing more efficient, many of those systems are either inconsistent or are not accessible to all practitioners. As a result, patients who switch from providers in one region of a state to providers in another region or those who switch to providers within the same region who do not have access to the local EHR exchange are still responsible for obtaining copies of their images. Failing to do so may result in duplicate tests and unnecessary radiation. In an effort to overcome those issues and improve patient care, one state is creating the nation’s first statewide medical image archive. HealthInfoNet, an independent and nonprofit health information technology organization, is leading this initiative in Maine. The pilot project officially launched in May 2012, but it didn’t gain momentum until January 2013 ..."