August 6, 2012 Joe Marion
I recently read an article in Advance for Imaging & Radiation Oncology, July/Aug 2012 by Shannon Werb, Chief Strategy Officer/COO for Acuo Technologies, entitled “The case for VNA.” Shannon makes the case for differentiating between a PACS vendor VNA (Vendor Neutral Archive) and a VNA offered by a truly independent vendor. The differentiation is made on how interoperable the VNA is in terms of working with all vendor solutions (i.e. “Vendor Neutral”), noting that some so-called VNA’s may merely be an extension of the PACS vendor’s PACS archive.
July 8, 2012 Joe Marion
Some EMR vendors choose not to play in the data capture space, and expect documentation to be done manually within the EMR at the expense of similar information automatically acquired by data capture devices. Case in point–consider hemodynamic systems which have classically been the primary point for documentation of cardiac and vascular procedures.
June 26, 2012 Joe Marion
In February the CMS published the proposed rules for Stage 2 of the ARRA/Meaningful Use act. The proposed rules include the possible inclusion of imaging, specifically image sharing as a criterion. The comments period closed in May, and now it will now be up to the government to see if imaging survives as part of Stage 2. I have heard some rumblings that advocate the removal of imaging, as “the technology is not mature enough.” I, for one, cannot support this viewpoint.
June 3, 2012 Joe Marion
Cardiology is much more complicated compared to radiology, as there are many more data types involved. In radiology, since images are the primary form of data, the Digital Imaging and Communications (DICOM) standard has been immensely successful in creating an interoperable environment. Unfortunately, in the case of cardiology, besides images, physicians interact with wave forms, pressure measurements and documentation as part of a procedure.
May 1, 2012 Joe Marion
A framework can build consensus and avoid misunderstandings when implementing a VNA. The framework graphs organizational focus against functional purpose, in an attempt to differentiate the particular needs, and potential emphasis of various vendors. Organizationally, initiatives can be focused around the needs of a single service area such as radiology, and primarily driven by the clinical service area.
March 31, 2012
This past weekend was the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting held in Chicago March 24-27. This year was an exciting year as there were major product announcements, but disappointing in that cardiology still appears to lag in terms of integrated cardiovascular information systems that will be essential to addressing ARRA/MU and the changing healthcare environment!
March 19, 2012
Several recent enterprise imaging engagements have encompassed Pathology as an opportunity for digital image management, and they have afforded me the opportunity to gain a better appreciation for the state of the Digital Pathology market. From this experience, I am reminded of the similar experience in the early days of Radiology when the transition was made from film to digital images. The question is how similar will Pathology be, and can we learn from Radiology’s experience?
March 14, 2012 Joe Marion
I am currently engaged with a number of clients in various stages of the acquisition of some form of enterprise image management application. In some recent conversations with several vendors, I am surprised at the number of “Request for Proposals” or RFP’s that these vendors are receiving from various facilities. As a result, I am rethinking the acceptance rate of healthcare providers for addressing image management in the enterprise!
February 27, 2012 Joe Marion
In a continuing series looking at the so-called Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA), this installment addresses the role a VNA can be expected to play in future PACS. There are some who believe the VNA will become the core of all future PACS, replacing legacy PACS altogether. I am not one of them!
February 6, 2012 Joe Marion
Understanding VNA objectives aids in knowing how to apply industry standards
