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From a siloed environment to a collaborative, interoperable model
Medical imaging is evolving from a radiology-
centric, siloed environment towards a model offering
interoperability, on-demand, sharing, viewing,
collaboration and storage of increasingly varied and
sophisticated imaging datasets.
Many organizations are using vendor neutral archives
(VNAs), universal viewers, image exchanges or other
technology associated with enterprise imaging to
answer these demands; however, this is rarely within a
defined enterprise imaging strategy.
The KLAS report focusses on 92 multi-facility
organizations that are indeed using the solutions for
true enterprise imaging.
The research uncovered two main paths to implementing
an enterprise imaging strategy: a centralized approach
around the VNA, and a federated approach around the
universal viewer. The role of image exchange in the
enterprise imaging strategy was also considered.
KLAS asked respondents about the performance of
specific vendors on a wide range of indicators: vendors
included in the research were Agfa HealthCare, Dell
Services, Fujifilm, GE Healthcare, Lexmark HealthCare,
lifeIMAGE and Merge.
Overall, Agfa HealthCare was identified as one of the
vendors with a more comprehensive enterprise imaging
solution.
“Enterprise imaging—the ability to store, view, and exchange images from multiple service lines— promises to
revolutionize the imaging landscape. Yet many providers are still uncertain as to how to move forward. To add much-
needed context, KLAS conducted targeted interviews with 92 providers who have a clear enterprise imaging strategy
to find out how these early adopters are moving forward and how well vendors perform in an enterprise imaging
setting.”
*Agfa HealthCare promotion based off KLAS report “ENTERPRISE IMAGING 2015: STRATEGIES, OPTIONS, AND VENDOR PERFORMANCE”, December 2015
The enterprise imaging strategy: summary report
Some 41% of the respondents are building their enterprise imaging strategy around a centralized VNA, which offers
advantages in reduced costs, deeper interoperability between service lines, improved care coordination and no need for
data migration. With the VNA as the base, image exchange, a universal viewer, workflow tools (such as an enterprise
worklist) and other layers can be added.
Radiology and cardiology are very often the first “service lines”, or departments, to be connected to the VNA. This is due
both to the high volume of images generated, and also because the PACS workflow in the radiology department allows
the VNA to be used as part of a process that is very similar to the healthcare provider’s long-term enterprise imaging
architecture.
Other service lines that have been connected (at a much lower occurrence) include gastroenterology, dermatology,
ophthalmology, pathology, obstetrics, angiography, rheumatology, dental, ultrasound, and oncology. According to the
KLAS report, Agfa HealthCare has the most service lines connected, as well as the deepest adoption outside of radiology
and cardiology.
A centralized, VNA-based approach
WHAT ROLE DOES YOUR PRIMARY PACS VENDOR PLAY
IN YOUR CURRENT ENTERPRISE IMAGING STRATEGY?
“We have cardiology connected to the VNA, and we are
now starting to connect the GI lab. We have ultrasounds
from the ER and the floors. We are able to plug essentially
anything into the VNA. Agfa HealthCare has done a very
good job over the years of connecting to just about
anything. It doesn’t take days or special coding to make
it happen. They did their homework on connectivity up
front and are very good at it.”
The second main approach involves building a strategy
around a universal viewer, which allows improved
efficiency through easy integration of enterprise imaging
into the EMR/clinician workflow, as well as the ability to
see images.
This approach can offer flexibility, opportunities for
improved clinician collaboration, web-based options
supporting off-site reading, and easier upgrading. Both
referential and diagnostic viewers are now on the
market; most of the healthcare providers included in
the research use their viewer in a referential capacity,
although many hope to expand into diagnostic use
in the future. Agfa HealthCare offers an FDA - cleared
diagnostic viewer.
While radiology and cardiology are again very often the
first service lines connected, there are fewer “other”
service lines being connected within the federated
approach. Agfa HealthCare again is noted for its presence
in more service lines, as well as for the ease of integrating
its viewer technology into the EMR, regardless of vendor.
The federated approach around the universal viewer
WHAT BENEFITS HAVE YOU REALIZED FROM THIS PRODUCT ?
[UNIVERSAL VIEWER]
“For the most part, having Agfa Healthcare’s XERO Viewer is an
avenue to viewing images. From an enterprise-wide standpoint,
providers basically work within their clinical systems and their
local PACS on cache. Areas like ophthalmology and dermatology
have a more robust tool set to work off of. But our enterprise
viewer does what we need it to do. We were told that Agfa
HealthCare is going to come out with some new tool sets down
the road. For the most part, XERO Viewer does a good job.”
Image exchange and workflow solutions in the enterprise imaging strategy
Image exchange and workflow solutions are less common, but
are being implemented as part of enterprise imaging strategies,
with a number of organizations intending to go live shortly.
Image exchange is particularly significant, as it supports the
improvement of the continuity of care by enabling image
exchange between clinicians at different locations and
organizations. Nonetheless, few of the healthcare enterprises
interviewed are currently using an image exchange solution.
Workflow solutions are also recognized as a key area. However,
the healthcare providers do not feel they are “far enough along”
to consider at the moment. Several hope their PACS/RIS will be
sufficient for workflow in the short-term, while acknowledging
some hesitation about this approach when looking beyond the
next few years.
© 2016 Agfa HealthCare Corporation
All rights reserved
Published by
Agfa HealthCare Corporation
10 South Academy Street
Greenville, SC 29601 USA
US 00201606
WHAT BENEFITS HAVE YOU REALIZED FROM THIS
[WORKFLOW] PRODUCT?
“What differentiates Agfa from other vendors is that
they consider each department, what modalities
are in the department, what the workflow is, what
devices are used, taking that piece by piece for the
GI lab, ophthalmology department, endocrinology
department, wound care department and creating
solutions based on how those departments work. Other
vendors just give their customers a VNA, and then the
customers have to figure out how to hook it up to the
different departments.”