Selfies are not just for consumer social networking services anymore, they’re now making their way into the medical field. DICOM Grid, an open cloud platform, launched a new feature today called “medical selfie” for its mobile optimized medical image management platform.

"It can be argued that the mobility of health information is no longer a luxury in medicine; it’s an integral part of the system," Morris Panner, CEO of DICOM Grid, told DOTmed News. "Both patients and providers are demanding it."

Features like this are becoming popular as the industry moves toward better patient engagement. "There is no doubt that we are trending toward a health care system that values patient engagement, and a big piece of the puzzle is providing patients with control over their health information," said Panner.

The new feature will allow patients and care providers to securely share visible light imagery, taken with an iOS device, with their physicians in a HIPAA secure environment. Visible light imagery is able to be evaluated without special equipment and is most commonly used in dermatology and wound care.

For example, the patient can share a photo of a burn, wound or other injury and the physicians can use that to devise a treatment plan and determine if the condition warrants and in-office visit. Patients can also share diagnostic imaging and other related data.

This feature has the potential to help hospitals and practices save money. Instead of using CDs and fax to share information, they can now turn their mobile device into a HIPAA-safe medical communication platform.

"Sharing medical images burned onto physical media like CDs can carry a high price tag for delivery," said Panner. "Not only can electronic sharing methods like the medical selfie save time, but they have the potential to reduce expensive courier costs."

Mobile image sharing is also making huge strides in sports medicine. DICOM Grid has orthopedic surgeon clients who bring iPads with them into the operating room to flip through imaging series, and radiologist clients who travel with professional sports teams and use the tablets to share scans.

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