From the May 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Numerous advantages exist with server-side rendering and “zero-install,” standards-based viewing. Since all the processing happens on the server, the client workstation can be a basic machine. Previous bandwidth challenges no longer exist. This approach involves the transfer of only a rendering of a JPEG or PNG view of DICOM data from the server to the client. The amount of data being transferred is significantly reduced, making the solutions suitable for even low-bandwidth networks.

For both thin- and thick-client environments, IT professionals are typically required to perform installation, as well as ongoing maintenance and upgrades. Imagine a hospital with hundreds or even thousands of users, and consider costs for IT staff to routinely visit every workstation. Zero-client technology does away with these labor-intensive installs and upgrades.


In a zero-client imaging model, technology is used to ”serve up” the imaging-specific portion of the medical record to clinicians where and when they need it – without transferring the assets to them. (You could draw a parallel to checking the weather on your local newspaper’s website. The weather data you’re seeing are not housed on the newspaper’s server. Instead, they are served up to the newspaper’s site via the owner of the information, in many instances Weather.com.)

With zero-client environments, privacy concerns are addressed. Since no patient data of any kind reside on a client server and no caching is involved when images are viewed remotely, patient records remain confidential, ensuring compliance with all HIPAA and other industry regulations.

EHRs, HIEs ACOs and the future of image exchange
Early adopters of zero-client viewing are leading the way. Some of today’s EHR and HIE vendors, for example, plug this technology into their solutions, thus eliminating the need for their users to go outside of their working environments to access diagnostic images and also eliminating replication and transfer of huge data sets.

Improvements in health information exchange have the potential to be significant. Today’s organizations adopt technology in response to meaningful use incentives and from the promotion of new models, such as regional health information organizations, accountable care organizations and the like. Savings can be achieved by eliminating CD burning and transportation. The opportunity to improve quality by eliminating delays in image transfer is also significant. The ability of a physician to have timely, hassle-free access to any image, anytime, anywhere not only saves money, but could help save lives as well.

May 2011 Magazine

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