Across the complex and fragmented healthcare landscape, there is an ever-increasing demand for fast, secure, and seamless radiology services. The global volume of medical imaging procedures is expected to experience a 5.1% CAGR1 over the next 4 years, putting imaging volumes on track to increase by 50% over the next 8 years. This growth will continue to put pressure on radiologists and the traditional radiology systems they use to keep pace.
Traditional radiology workflow systems (RIS/PACS, reporting, archiving, worklist) are often deployed onsite – their growth and management bound by on-premises infrastructure and resource constraints that struggle to keep up with the growing volume and complexity of medical imaging.
These and other challenges have led to many legacy radiology IT software systems being ‘cloud-enabled’ so they can be deployed in private and public clouds and eliminate some of these support challenges. However, cloud-enabled applications are simply retrofitted solutions – initially designed to run on an on-premise data center but modified to run in the cloud. As a result, they lack the flexibility, resiliency, and scalability required to meet modern radiology needs.
In contrast, cloud-native applications are designed to reside in the cloud from the start. They leverage the cloud’s dynamic and distributed nature for greater speed, agility, scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency.
Cloud-native radiology workflow applications are a transformative, bottoms-up approach designed to:
- Streamline radiology and clinical IT operations.
- Enhance clinical collaboration and access.
- Reduce IT and operational costs.
Here are six key benefits of adopting cloud-native radiology workflow solutions:
1. How Cloud-Native Radiology Workflow Scales with Imaging Demand
Traditional on-premise radiology solutions must be sized before installation and require costly hardware and software installations, IT staffing, and dedicated physical space. They cannot be readily sized up or down to accommodate changing business needs.
Cloud-native solutions, on the other hand, adapt seamlessly to both small practices and large healthcare networks as they eliminate local hardware, software, space and support demands and adjust dynamically to evolving needs. Their resources can be scaled up or down based on patient volume, emergencies, mergers or seasonal demand.
2. Cloud-Native Radiology: Remote Access & Seamless Teleradiology Reading
Radiologists increasingly work across multiple facilities, need remote access to patient data from numerous facilities and struggle with working on multiple PACS. Cloud-native solutions free medical image data and radiologists from the constraints of traditional computing environments and easily support the goals of enterprise imaging and teleradiology. They facilitate real-time access to the entire imaging history from any location, enabling radiologists to remotely interpret scans, provide consultations, and collaborate with other specialists without delay. They also offer a consistent reading experience regardless of where the radiologists physically work.
3. Why Cloud-Native Radiology Software Ensures Faster Deployment & Zero Downtime
Deploying traditional radiology software and hardware can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and costly. In contrast, cloud-native systems are designed for rapid deployment and seamless updates that can be implemented automatically, reducing downtime and ensuring that users always have access to the latest tools and enhancements.
This agility particularly benefits healthcare providers operating in “always-on” environments, ensuring continuous service with minimal disruptions. Radiologists can remain productive, even during system maintenance or upgrades.
4. Lower Radiology IT Costs with Cloud-Native Workflow Solutions
Maintaining on-premise infrastructure involves significant costs related to software and hardware procurement, storage, power consumption, space, and IT support. For smaller organizations, these costs are prohibitive, while for larger organizations, these expenses can quickly become unsustainable as imaging volumes grow and enterprise imaging strategies are implemented.
Cloud-native radiology workflow solutions offer cost efficiency by operating on a subscription-based or pay-per-use model. Healthcare providers can eliminate the need for capital expenditures and only pay for the software and hardware resources they consume. Cloud providers also handle maintenance, backups, security issues, and disaster recovery, further reducing operational and IT support costs and their operational demands.
5. Ensuring Data Security & Compliance in Cloud-Native Radiology: HIPAA, DICOM, FHIR & More
Security is paramount in healthcare because it involves sensitive patient data. Many providers worry that cloud solutions might expose them to more significant risks, but modern cloud-native platforms are built around advanced security protocols.
Cloud providers typically offer encryption for data in transit and at rest, multi-factor authentication, and continuous monitoring for suspicious activity. Furthermore, cloud providers adhere to healthcare compliance standards like HIPAA, HL7, DICOM, and FHIR, ensuring that patient information remains protected. Cloud-based backups and disaster recovery systems also safeguard data from hardware failures and cyberattacks.
6. Seamless AI Integration in Cloud-Native Radiology Workflows
Cloud-native radiology workflow platforms are designed to integrate the latest artificial intelligence (AI) tools seamlessly. They offer the flexibility to test and adopt new AI models and workflow tools as they become available without complex and risky installations or upgrades.
Future-Proof Radiology with Cloud-Native Workflow Solutions
As healthcare evolves, radiology must adopt agile, cost-efficient, and scalable solutions. A cloud-native approach ultimately reduces costs, simplifies maintenance, and offers robust data security, all while enhancing collaboration, improving operational efficiency, and simplifying integration with AI tools.
Sirona’s cloud-native platform enables healthcare providers of all sizes and complexities to optimize their radiology workflows. They also allow medical imaging professionals and radiologists to focus more on patient care and less on managing technology.
1 Signify Research Diagnostic Imaging Procedure Volumes Database. Accessed Dec. 6, 2024