It’s time to ditch the disc: ‘Patients are ready’ for online access to imaging

Demand for imaging services is as high or higher than it’s ever been, and patient care is increasingly being split between multiple physicians. With more providers now integrating imaging into their diagnostic processes, there is a greater need to improve the ease of access. 

CDs just aren’t cutting it anymore, experts indicated during a panel discussion on enterprise imaging solutions at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine’s annual meeting last week. 

“Patients rely on us to view their images before they’re even in clinic. We need access prior to or during the appointment. Not having it prolongs the entire care process,” shared Seetharam (Ram) Chadalavada, MD, a practicing interventional radiologist and vice chair of radiology–informatics at the University of Cincinnati. “Bringing CDs can be an arduous process. It almost adds a whole other appointment to that experience.” 

Stacie Barnard, the director of integrated clinical systems, enterprise informatics, at University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), further elaborated on the issues with using discs for sharing imaging. 

Barnard, who also has a background in nuclear medicine, said that at her organization, staff members proactively burn discs for patients after their exams, knowing that they will likely need to share them with at least one, but often multiple, other providers. And while burning a disc is fairly simple, it still involves a multi-step process that can be time intensive and take staff away from other clinical duties.

There also is the risk that discs become damaged or are lost in between patients’ appointments. This can cause delays in care if providers do not gain access to imaging prior to appointments, leaving them with inadequate time to review the exams. In some cases, this results in providers needing to schedule additional visits with patients that would have otherwise been unnecessary had they had access to imaging beforehand.

“We really need a situation where patients can just get online and view their images,” Barnard said, adding that appointments are less productive when imaging is not readily available.