Vendor Neutral Archives and how they benefit PACS

For Medical Imaging practices, radiologists review and store images within their PACS. With new innovations, such as DICOM viewers and Digital Radiography, radiologists and other imaging professionals are able to swiftly and accurately determine causes and prescribe treatment plans to their patients.

Recently, the development of products that are not restrictive in terms of the storage and transmission of digital images has paved the way for changes in the industry. Vendor Neutral Archives (VNAs) have emerged as the premier method of sharing images across practices with disparate software systems.

Issues that led to neutrality

In health care, the sheer number of possible vendors and systems means that many products do not effectively communicate with one another. As such, whatever imaging system works for one practice may not necessarily function the same at another. Without effective interoperability between equipment, providers are unable to coordinate care across practices and improve the outcomes for their patients.

Finally, the logistical components of PACS are provided by a sole vendor. As such, there is not a lot of room for interoperability between systems due to certain standards regarding image storage and sharing. This can lead to providers hopping around vendors as they strive to find one that satisfies their needs.

Enter VNAs
For PACS, medical imaging archives follow a very structural pattern in terms of functionality and sharing. There is a storage sub-system, an interface that allows for the retrieval of images and associated documents and a manageable database that records when, how and who stored images on the system.

The requirements for a system to be considered a VNA include, but are not limited to, supporting open imaging standards and allowing PACS solutions to be interchangeable. In short, VNAs coordinate workflow between different PACS vendors in order to improve the delivery of care.

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Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC

Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.