As an early adopter of cloud-based electronic medical data-sharing, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (VCU) in Richmond, Va., has some valuable information, based on its experience, to share with current and potential users of this data-sharing approach. VCU’s use of cloud-based file exchanges began in mid-2010, making it one of the pioneers with this new technology.
VCU now exchanges data in the cloud with six different facilities, five in Virginia and one in Rochester, N.Y. The exchanges mostly concern trauma or other patients being transferred from community hospitals to VCU, a leading academic medical center. The center's physicians have seen a clear benefit in the cloud’s ability to put vital patient files in their hands well before the patients arrive.
Cloud delivery of the files allows them to be reviewed, and an action plan developed by the time the patient arrives. That was more difficult to achieve when files were burned to CD and sent by courier or with the patient. Furthermore, dealing with lost CDs and files that wouldn't open correctly has been illuminated or significantly reduced.
The medical center has also found new applications for cloud-based file-sharing. VCU contracts with a company that searches for and retrieves external images and medical records on patients. When the company locates a patient file relevant to VCU, they transfer the file to VCU quickly and easily via the cloud.
In addition, VCU anticipates that there may be additional benefits in the area of organ and tissue transplants. More specifically, the potential capability to send images of organs to transplant physicians may improve the ability to identify the best specimens.
But while the cloud technology and approach appears to have performed very well, the changes it makes to workflow and other routines have required the need to re-engineer some processes and educate those involved in the care of patients.
As a Level I Trauma and referral center, imaging files sent via the cloud generally flow from other institutions to VCU. Referring facilities are having to adapt from a workflow centered on burning and sending CDs to one that requires simply uploading to a cloud server. While this approach is much more efficient, it is still a change that the hospitals have to integrate. It requires a different allocation of resources and can require different personnel.
As with many cloud-based services, there's no new software or hardware to purchase with the service VCU uses. Further, the skills required to use the web-based interface build upon most end-users’ existing computer skills. So while some small adjustments to workflow are required, VCU has had a positive experience so far as an early adopter.