Medical images available to all, not just those at your hospital, can improve patient outcomes, according to a study released today at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference.

The study, sponsored by lifeIMAGE, a provider of solutions for universal e-sharing of medical images, found that “advanced cloud-based technologies are a new imperative in today's fast-paced health environment,” and a way of providing open access to images.

A story at medicaldesign.com reports that  many hospitals have been reluctant to embrace cloud computing, because of data security concerns, among others. 

But the article points out that the technology is proven now and that cloud computing allows institutions to cut costs and focus on doing what they do best – providing medical care – since this type of computing lets hospitals outsource IT to firms that specialize in it, and no longer having to worry about it themselves.

Interestingly, worldwide revenue from public IT cloud services surged past $16 billion in 2009 and has been “forecast to reach $55.5 billion in 2014,” over five times the projected rate of growth for traditional IT products, according to International Data Corp as reported at medicaldesign.com

“Imaging technology is critical for screening, diagnosing and managing diseases, but until recently, many physicians and healthcare organizations have not been able to exchange important images across systems and consult with colleagues,” said Hamid Tabatabaie, co-founder and CEO of lifeIMAGE, in the press release. “Better real-time collaboration in both inpatient and outpatient settings is becoming increasingly important as our healthcare system puts a laser focus on improving patient outcomes while also reducing inefficiencies and healthcare costs.”

In the study, 91 percent of physician respondents said “they believed open-access image-sharing technology benefits patients,” according to the press release. Cloud-based platforms, which allow healthcare institutions to store and manage files over the Internet, offer a much better alternative to what patients now have to do – transport CDs of their own medical images from doctor to doctor. Introducing “the potential for loss or incompatibility of data and can lead to duplicate testing and unnecessary exposure to radiation.”

Typically, clinicians can view images electronically on their own hospital networks. But what if the image you need comes from outside your organization?

Cloud computing is one of the answers, according to the press release because it has been around long enough to have matured, and should be part of every institution’s arsenal of tools to improve patient care.

The study recommends that hospitals switching over to cloud computing consider those systems with multiple imaging viewers, and that “provide multiple options for embedding the system into existing processes.”

One of the most important tips, the press release states, “is to plan ahead for future needs by seeking out scalable platforms,” so the system can grow as the organization grows.

Make sure levels of “uptime” are guaranteed, and, in this age of data theft and privacy violations, “protect the privacy and security of patient data through encryption of all data, whether shared through messaging or stored on servers,” the press release recommends.

“In today's fast-paced, results-oriented health environment, timely access to medical information is a requirement, and lifeIMAGE has helped advance the technology to make this possible,” Tabatabaie said in the press release. “Our goal is to maximize connectivity among physicians, hospitals and patients to ultimately improve care.”