ClearDATA Networks to Distribute Cloud-Based Clinical Image Archiving

ClearDATA Networks has launched the Tera Medica Evercore Enterprise Software Suite for cloud-based clinical image archiving to enable healthcare organizations to improve the lifespan of images while reducing operating costs – all by using a cloud-based storage solution, according to Steve Campbell.

The Tera Medica Evercore Enterprise Software Suite connects and manages the digital image infrastructure of a healthcare system from the imaging device, or PACS, to the electronic health record (EHR) and the clinical desktop.

“There is a strong paradigm shift occurring now relative to clinical image management, and it’s being driven by the increasing need for connectivity and clinical content exchange,” Del Coufal, TeraMedica vice president of marketing, told Campbell. “Whether it’s due to HIE’s, Meaningful Use, ACO’s or all of the above, image storage and exchange is optimally addressed by vendor-neutral solutions. Data must be made fluid and secure, instead of confined to a particular PACS vendor.”

Cloud storage is a new development in the management of images. You can tell this is a hot market: the big boys are now in it. Dell announced in July that it would host Agfa’s imaging archive to allow doctors to incorporate images into EHRs, and the company said in February that it was joining with Siemens to provide cloud storage for the healthcare sector.

And it’s growing fast. Brian T. Horowitz reported in July that cloud computing in healthcare will reach $5.4 billion by 2017, according to MarketsandMarkets.

Cloud technology is replacing many legacy systems because it offers easier and faster access to data, the research firm revealed.

Medical image storage is rapidly becoming a growing part of the IT budget for healthcare providers everywhere, Campbell noted.

“The old way of managing clinical content is simply not a practical solution moving forward – either from an economic sense or a clinical workflow perspective,” said Jim Prekop, TeraMedica president and CEO. “Different times demand different approaches.”