"Cloud” Image Management Solutions Bring Efficiency and Cost-Savings to RIS/PACS Deployment

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 14 Jan 2010
Cloud-hosted solutions have been designed to enable rapid implementation of a radiology information system (RIS) or picture archiving communications system (PACS); allowing practices a faster return on investment and minimal disruption to workflow.

Merge Healthcare (Milwaukee, WI, USA) announced the availability of its RIS/PACS and disaster recovery solutions that utilize a cloud computing platform to manage a breadth of healthcare information. This scalable software as a service (SaaS) by Merge enables digital imaging enterprises to deploy a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant medical imaging solution without the cost or complexity of managing multiple layers of hardware or software.

"We were impressed with Merge Healthcare's commitment and ability to implement a front-to-backend solution so quickly,” said Matt Purser, president of Prestige Imaging, LLC (Dallas, TX, USA), who recently purchased the hosted Fusion RIS/PACS MX solution. "The flexibility and depth of Fusion RIS/PACS, supported by such a robust hosting environment, was exactly what we needed to be more responsive to our patients and partners. The Merge solution has allowed Prestige to differentiate itself as a leading diagnostic imaging provider throughout Texas. We are already experiencing positive results.”

A pay-per-study model provides affordable access to the newest releases of Merge's digital imaging software solutions, including the recently released no-client FusionWeb Clinician Access Portal and Fusion RIS 4.0 with Fusion Billing. Hosted on a secure, off-site private server, these platforms store digital images (including prior studies) and associated patient information in a fully managed server environment, and are accessible at any time from any hosted network computer.

"Cloud computing provides our customers with another flexible option to manage their data and information, one which minimizes deployment cost and time,” said Nancy Koenig, president of Merge Fusion. "For healthcare organizations whose study volumes cannot justify the costs associated with an on-site installation of a full-scale PACS or RIS/PACS system, or for those looking for a convenient way to upgrade their legacy PACS system, this virtual approach delivers immediate workflow-efficiency improvements.”

Merge Healthcare develops software systems that automate healthcare data and diagnostic workflow to create a more comprehensive electronic record of the patient experience.

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