During the recently-held RSNA 2011, a podium presentation was carried out to discuss the advantages of using cloud-based solutions for sharing medical images. The presentation was conducted by Mark D. Kovacs, M.D. and Michael A. Trambert, M.D. Dr. Kovacs is a Radiology Department resident at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Dr. Trambert is the Lead Radiologist for PACS Reengineering for the Cottage Health System and Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The presentation included reviewing data from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (VCU). The latter has been one of the early facilities to use cloud-based medical data sharing solutions. VCU has been using eMix™, a well-known medical image sharing system. The presentation also discussed the technical obstacles experienced with using older medical image sharing software. The lecturers then highlighted how the new solutions are offering data sharing capabilities with limited costs.

Dr. Trambert said “We found that cloud-based data sharing has essentially solved all the problems with prior methods of sharing electronic medical information – and in the simplest, most efficient way possible,” He continued “Unlike CDs, when information is transferred in the cloud, you can be certain the information will arrive on time, and that the files can be opened. This also means there is no need to take redundant images. That better protects patients and is a huge benefit for the healthcare economy.”

eMix, as an innovative solution, provides a lot of interesting features. For instance, Zero Footprint Viewer, allows the receiver of an eMix package to carry out a full review of the transferred images on computer or mobile systems. Another feature is EMRconnect™, which enable medical facilities to automatically send medical reports to the EMR.