Immediate Access to Diagnostic Quality Medical Images from across the etHIN Community
July 15, 2014 – Community-wide image sharing is coming to East Tennessee! East Tennessee Health Information Network (etHIN) recently selected eHealth Technologies (www.https://ehealthtechnologies.com/) as its technology partner for the exchange of images across the 19-county etHIN region.
etHIN chose Image Exchange as its newest service offering based on community need. Image exchange has the capability to save time for providers by allowing immediate access to recent and prior imaging studies from external sources. It can also help reduce healthcare costs by eliminating unnecessary duplicate imaging procedures, which ultimately improves patient safety by eliminating unnecessary radiation exposure.
Common problems of lost or non-viewable CDs and large file transfers are eliminated with this solution. Images in the HIE are available when and where they’re needed, potentially saving significant healthcare dollars.
Images that traditionally take hours to days to obtain from off-site locations will be available to participating providers within seconds through the HIE. With a single click from a connected EHR or etHIN’s Virtual Health Record, participating providers can view images on eHealth Technologies’ zero-footprint Health Viewer® ZF diagnostic quality image viewer.
In addition to viewing images, a real-time collaboration feature allows multiple clinicians to collaborate on the same imaging exam from wherever they are.
Authorized users within the HIE can quickly access images from different PACS located at any imaging provider that participates in etHIN. Images from participants anywhere in the HIE region, including EKG waveforms, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, and any other DICOM images, will be available in full diagnostic quality at any time, from any computer that has a secure internet connection.
Participating providers will be able to view images as part of their patients’ records through the community-wide Virtual Health Record (VHR), etHIN’s Clinical Inbox, and even from their own EHR system when it is connected to etHIN by an interface.
The image sources for the HIE will include Covenant Health, UT Medical Center, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and others as providers are added to the exchange. The initial images are expected to be available for viewing by etHIN’s participating providers in late summer, with some implementation timelines still being determined. After these image sources are available in the HIE, more real-time information and even greater value for HIE participants can be realized.
East Tennessee Health Information Network
2035 Lakeside Centre Way, Suite 180
Knoxville, TN 37922
865-691-8433
Toll-free 888-939-3984
