How cloud agility for PACS improves outcomes and drives innovation

Note: This first installment of a three-part series powered by CHIME DHI and sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GE Healthcare, focused on picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) in the cloud looks at the general advantages of cloud infrastructure. The second and third pieces in the series will explore financial benefits and clinical care impacts, respectively.

Imaging is often described as the lifeblood of the health system. Fast access to accurate imaging data drives evidence-based decision-making in specialties such as cardiology and oncology – and clinical success in these business lines often translates to increased revenue and greater financial stability.

Unfortunately, many health systems today aren’t making the most of imaging technology. Some continue to use legacy PACS from multiple vendors, and a lack of interoperability causes workflow headaches. Others have committed to modernizing PACS infrastructure but fear the price tag of upfront investment.

Whatever challenges are holding organizations back, a transition to cloud-based enterprise imaging solutions purchased as SaaS (Software as a Service) brings agility to resource allocation and clinical workflows. This ensures PACS infrastructure doesn’t stand in the way of providing optimized patient care. Organizations can more easily provide access to the latest diagnostic and productivity enhancing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) based imaging applications.

Understanding cloud agility

It’s no secret that agility is one of the primary appeals of cloud computing. Organizations can deploy new resources quickly, without acquiring and installing physical infrastructure. They can also integrate previously disparate applications in the same cloud instance. This makes it easy for IT teams to adapt to changing workloads and innovations, which is a critical advantage in a healthcare environment where demand is difficult to predict.

There are other advantages to embracing cloud agility for imaging infrastructure. One is security. Health systems can leverage standard cloud infrastructure features such as encryption, firewalls, and centralized logging. They also gain access to their service provider’s security expertise – an important benefit amid widespread IT and security talent shortages – as well as security patches that can be more closely monitored and deployed by their service provider.

Another advantage is enhancing business continuity. When cloud infrastructure is available in multiple geographies, and applications are made redundant across these, the disruption of downtime – and associated adverse impact on patient care – can be greatly minimized. Cloud deployment also offers elasticity of computing resources that can improve system performance, which is valuable in instances such as using AI to review images for clinical decision and diagnostic support.

Finally, health systems will see total cost of ownership decrease when they move to the cloud. The initial investment is less than acquiring on-premises infrastructure, and recurring costs are baked into a predictable subscription model. Leading vendors also cover the cost of system updates, reducing the expenses associated with ongoing maintenance.

5 downstream benefits for PACS

Putting an agile cloud infrastructure in place can result in five key long-term benefits for health systems.

1. Workflow automation and optimization. With previously disparate PACS now integrated in the cloud, organizations can better automate workflows associated with reading images, accessing data across the enterprise, and even setting up an exam room. These steps can improve a radiologists’ efficiency as much as 20%, according to Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates.
2. Increased operational resilience. Less downtime means better resilience, as organizations can recover quickly from an outage. The cost to mitigate downtime drops by more than 90% (GE/Forrester study), and organizations can continue to see patients who need imaging services.
3. Stronger compliance. Working with cloud vendors that hold certifications for data protection and privacy ensures organizations their infrastructure is set to meet regulatory requirements. Meanwhile, integrating imaging data sources helps demonstrate compliance with evolving data sharing and interoperability laws.
4. Access to data for diagnostics. There’s another benefit of data integration: It gives organizations longitudinal data sets that are ripe for AI-driven analysis. This helps clinical teams provide more precise diagnoses and treatment plans – a vital offering for patients whose lives are about to change.
5. Potential to embrace new technology. Cloud agility lets organizations deploy cutting-edge tools quickly. They can push advances in productivity, analytics, and patient care with just a few clicks – enabling front-line staff to benefit from and not feel burdened by new technology.

Access to imaging is critical for providing high-quality patient care. Too many of today’s health systems use yesterday’s technology to host PACS. That puts clinical and IT teams at a disadvantage, and it leaves organizations paying more to manage legacy systems. Making the transition to more agile cloud infrastructure provides better scalability, availability, and security for PACS – and sets the stage to generate even more value from imaging resources.

About AWS

Since launching in 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been providing world-leading cloud technologies that help any organization and any individual build solutions to transform industries, communities, and lives for the better. AWS for Healthcare & Life Sciences is the trusted technology and innovation partner to the global healthcare and life sciences industry, providing unmatched reliability, security, and data privacy. For more information, visit aws.amazon.com/health.

About GE Healthcare

GE HealthCare is a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 125 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient’s journey across the care pathway. For more information, visit gehealthcare.com.