X-Ray Film Digitizing for the Cloud

posted Jul-16-2015

With the advancement of the digital world, hardly any industry remains untouched by the need to go digital, get into the cloud, and improve collaboration and communication.  From PACs and WebPACS in healthcare to the DICONDE cloud in non-destructive testing, organizations today have a wealth of competing priorities.

Add to this the cost competition that occurs throughout all markets and industries, and it’s easy to see that businesses need to re-examine their primary goals, and harness the power of new technologies to meet them.  The cloud is one way to do this.

Among the issues that we need to address are:  (1) cost control; (2) management of non-structured data, such as images; (3) protection and recovery of data; (4) compliance with rules and regulations; (5) workflow management.

Let’s Focus on X-Ray images

X-ray images are used in healthcare and industry.

In the medical field, while PACs are the technology of today, there may still be some providers who have film X-ray that has not been converted, and that may be taking up space that could be better used for creative health solutions that lower cost and improve efficiency. X-ray film scanning is part of the overall drive to provide better document management via electronic means.  These challenges push healthcare leaders to find creative ways to drive down costs and be more efficient, while preserving and improving patient information protection and security.

In industrial applications, changes are afoot in X-ray technology that are comparable to the sweep of changes that has overtaken the medical fields over the past twenty years.  These changes start with the migration from the use of x-ray equipment that relies on film to the use of digital x-ray equipment.

Once digital x-ray equipment is introduced into the field, the difficulty becomes the ability to accommodate both film x-rays and digital x-rays, especially when comparisons are being made between older images on film and newer digital images of the same structure.  Going between digital and film for comparison is a time consuming and tedious process for the NDT technician, which slows efficiency.

But, competition demands efficient operations…

Is an X-ray digitizing service the answer?

An experienced x-ray film digitizing service can be a valuable resource, letting you outsource your large and small x-ray scanning projects to help you manage film and digital images.  An X-ray digitizing outsource can provide a cost-effective approach to converting analog films to digital images, enabling you to:

•     Improve productivity
•     Increase accuracy of interpretations and comparisons
•     Streamline workflow
•     Reduce costs
•     Avoid the high cost of equipment purchases, upgrades and maintenance
•     Optimize your film management
•     Free up valuable floor space for expanded revenue-generating opportunities

 Is the “Cloud” really a more efficient way to view and exchange images?  

Yes, is the short answer.  There are no real technical challenges that make widespread access to x-ray studies impossible; the existing challenges are financial or political.  Imagine if every x-ray study, whether industrial or medical, could be made instantly available to anyone who needs to see it.  This is what happens with a cloud application – the owner of the study simply grants permission for access to whomever needs to see it.

This kind of instant access can result in progressively larger gains in efficiency.  For doubters, we recommend a trial run with controlled distribution until you get the feel of the cloud.  Ask us how you can get started.

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