From the August 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Most importantly, it allows for the implementation of a disaster recovery (DR) model that is much easier and cheaper to implement than that which might be done for each clinical system. The VNA can be sold and supported by the provider as well, and allows them to replace “lost” revenue in one area with “found” revenue in another. This newfound revenue is also usually significantly higher as well.

It is interesting to note that the vast majority of smaller PACS-based archives have no duplicate copies kept, let alone a true standards-based disaster recovery solution in place that is geographically distant from the primary site. Those few sites that do keep duplicate copies often have the backup copy located within several feet of the primary archive.


Jimmy Buffet summarized this “solution” well in his song Margaritaville – “If we didn’t laugh we would all go insane”. A scenario like this can be catastrophic, even in the likely event of a hard disk loss, let alone a natural disaster like those seen in New Orleans, Houston or just about anywhere in Florida. Situations like this happen more often than we care to admit. It’s only when you are caught unprepared that the words “I should have…” play out.

Implementing a cloud-based DR solution is yet another way to not only generate additional revenue but also meet the spirit of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules on business continuity. The CMS’ “Emergency Preparedness Final Rule” details emergency response and business continuity regulations for healthcare. These were finalized and put into play in mid-November, 2017. Noncompliance with the EPFR could result in the loss of Medicare and Medicaid benefits. While the final CMS emergency preparedness rule doesn't specifically focus on disaster recovery, it does zero in on emergency management and, to an extent, business continuity, so it is better that a client implement a backup solution now than be sorry later.

There are also add-on modules that can be sold to extend the useful life of the PACS and provide a value-add at the same time. These include zero footprint viewers (ZFV) that allow a facility to send images to their referring clinicians without having to physically install application software on either their PC or mobile device. ZFVs launch studies directly in the browser, regardless of the type of browser, operating system, or device, and require no plug-ins or maintenance. As a plus, they also have zero latency, delays that takes place during communication over a network. This makes the images pop up immediately.

August 2018 Magazine

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