By Morris Panner

If there is one lasting lesson to come out of the pandemic, it's the critical need for centralized medical information that can be easily accessed and analyzed to ensure patients are getting the most appropriate and efficient care. As the industry prepares for HIMSS 2023 in Chicago, a laser-like focus on the important role of enterprise imaging in the evolution to value-based care will emerge. Additional attention will be paid to the usage of technology to solve a number of challenges that have long plagued hospitals and healthcare providers.

Imaging has historically been locked within the four walls of a hospital or radiology practice. Patients had to physically carry CDs with them to their doctors, with risks of the files being lost, damaged or forgotten in the process. These inefficiencies often delayed needed care and resulted in having to reschedule appointments, costing patients money and time.
The COVID-19 pandemic flipped the script on access to care. The old processes prevented physicians from accessing the needed images to deliver continuity of care when offices shut down and in-person visits were canceled. Patients who were dealing with cancer diagnoses or cardiac problems, for example, were put on the back burner since so much attention was paid to the acute needs associated with COVID.

However, the maturity of digital solutions resulted in creative ways to break down these barriers. Providers now have easier access to imaging studies and medical records, giving them a holistic view that enables better and more prompt responses to patient needs. Enterprise imaging is at the heart of these changes, helping hospitals and healthcare providers overcome issues that resulted in inefficiencies and burnout, impacting doctors and patients alike.

While initial adoption of enterprise imaging has addressed many of these early pain points, there are four ways that the technology can offer critical improvements now and in the future:

#1: Scale – Since radiology is one of the most data-intensive and technology-driven specialties, this sector has been on the forefront of advancing innovation in the digitization of healthcare. One of the most important developments is use of enterprise imaging to improve the way medical images are retrieved, analyzed, enhanced and shared among a patient's care team and with the patient themself. Health systems must keep up with increasing data storage needs, as well as connecting it with other solutions, like EHRs, to enable collaboration among various departments. Enterprise imaging also offers scalability and interoperability as waves of consolidation bring together multiple health systems under a single umbrella.

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