Interoperability, Mobile Access Are Growing Trends in PACS Development

Given the transition toward digital platforms in medical imaging, PACS have become more important than ever before. The software has evolved from a basic image storage tool to a full management system that, when properly designed, can integrate with electronic health records to enhance the coordination of care.

As health care shifts to new payment models that focus on accountability rather than volumes, providers have to assess how their practices can fall in line with delivering high-quality patient care. Specifically, radiologists must examine how they can improve communication with referring physicians and what steps are needed to reduce unnecessary imaging to continue receiving reimbursements. Recently, the federal government approved the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, which not only resulted in a year-long delay to ICD-10 implementation, but also included language regarding radiation dose optimization and imaging appropriateness criteria.

With doctors leaning on value over volume, the evolution of PACS becomes crucial to advancing health care. According to FierceMedicalImaging, while these systems have paved the way for numerous improvements to radiology, including reductions in repeat exams, there is still more for PACS to do. Although more recent software updates have enhanced integration capabilities, PACS must also improve communication between physicians and radiologists.

It begs the question: Where are PACS going in the next few years?

Moving further into the future
Current systems are built to operate independently within a practice, helping to keep track of requests for studies and radiology reports. At times, there is minimal integration with hospital systems to use the abundance of data to doctors' advantage. Moving away from image storage and recall into comprehensive analysis can help PACS play a major role in health care reform.

"What is sadly having to happen is, these companies that are trying to link clinical information with PACS, they are having to extract this information from electronic health record systems and then put it into a separate database that PACS can talk to," said Matt Hawkins, M.D., pediatric interventional radiologist at Emory University, quoted by FierceMedicalImaging. "You can see why that is redundant."

Communication among existing systems represents a formidable obstacle for current PACS. However, some recent iterations have come packaged with voice-recognition and online consultation tools that aim to improve the exchange of information between radiologists and referring physicians. This leads to more streamlined workflows that generate meaningful work and effectively utilize resources.

Examining the newest trends
IT Online explained that interoperability is the most widely discussed trend in the PACS community. The increasing number of patients and amount of health data being generated by users creates a need for improved connectivity. Legacy PACS are showing weaknesses in infrastructure due to an inability to handle large data sets from countless imaging studies. Therefore, interoperability can be essential to bolstering the systems of radiology practices.

In addition, making PACS workstations mobile has become an intriguing component of future software. It facilitates the movement of images throughout enterprise, enhancing communication among physicians. With the development of cloud computing, radiologists and technicians can also access results over the Internet through smartphones, tablets and laptops. Reviewing images from handheld devices allows doctors to easily share test results with patients during physical exams and follow-up appointments.

Diagnostic imaging consists of huge amounts of data that have to be stored, moved and retrieved numerous times a day. Keeping this information secure is essential to running a reliable practice and delivering optimal care to countless patients. Using the right PACS can improve efficiencies, and mobile access and interoperability will continue to drive the development of future systems.

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