NEWTON, Mass., Feb. 21, 2012: Healthcare Organizations Look to Cloud-based Medical Image Exchange as Efficient, Outcome-Driven Alternative to "Sneakernet," Report Shows | PRNewswire | Bradenton Herald Today

“According to a study released today at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference,[1] physicians believe that open-access image-sharing technology can improve patient outcomes. The study, sponsored by lifeIMAGE, the nation's leading provider of solutions for universal e-sharing of medical images, outlines how advanced cloud-based technologies are a new imperative in today's fast-paced health environment and offers recommendations for overcoming technology-adoption challenges... In the new study, 91 percent of physician respondents said they believed open-access image-sharing technology benefits patients... The new study outlined several pilot programs that use open-access cloud-based systems to avoid that access barrier, and offered seven specific implementation recommendations: [1] Begin now: Cloud computing has reached a level of maturity... [2] Look closely: Not all clouds are created equal... [3] Seek standards: To ease implementation... [4] Be open: Vendors should have a stated policy of supporting an open platform... [5] Go big: Plan ahead for future needs by seeking out scalable platforms. [6] Ensure continuity: Look for guarantees on uptime performance... [7] Be safe, be secure... The Chilmark study predicted that healthcare organizations will increasingly turn to open, cloud-based image-sharing systems as reimbursement models continue to depend on patient outcomes, driving a renewed focus on collaboration across varied healthcare settings... lifeIMAGE is a network that allows physicians to connect and exchange imaging information with existing colleagues, as well as with specialists they may never have met. For example, using lifeIMAGE, a primary-care physician who needs to connect with an expert oncologist for a patient consult can use the lifeIMAGE eReferral directory to find and make an appropriate connection. Once the contacted physician approves the connection, the physicians then can share and view images throughout the patient-care process – instead of relying on patients to shuttle images back and forth on CDs... The goal of the lifeIMAGE platform is to help avoid duplicate exams and eliminate unnecessary patient exposure to excessive radiation. In an era of concerns about rising healthcare costs, lifeIMAGE is investing in a platform that helps advance patient care, while reducing $10 billion to $15 billion of unnecessary costs... The Chilmark Research study, "Current & Future State of Image Exchange," was conducted in the last quarter of 2011... It is available at www.lifeimage.com/chilmark.”