Merge Healthcare announced Wednesday it will launch a new cloud-based service that will enable users to upload, download, view and share medical images at no cost.

Officials at Merge, a provider of imaging and interoperability solutions, said the free cloud-based service --  called Merge Honeycomb -- will help to reduce the need for duplicative exams and patients' unnecessary exposure to radiation.

[See also: RSNA 10 explores IT-imaging connection.]

Merge Healthcare announced Wednesday it will launch a new cloud-based service that will enable users to upload, download, view and share medical images at no cost.

Officials at Merge, a provider of imaging and interoperability solutions, said the free cloud-based service --  called Merge Honeycomb -- will help to reduce the need for duplicative exams and patients' unnecessary exposure to radiation.

[See also: RSNA 10 explores IT-imaging connection.]

"With Merge Honeycomb, we're harnessing the cloud in a way that encourages and enables faster collaboration among all healthcare stakeholders, resulting in a true improvement in the delivery of care and reduction of costs," said Jeff Surges, CEO of Merge Healthcare. "With the largest network of imaging clients by far, Merge is taking this important step to connect the healthcare industry and expand interoperability."

Merge Honeycomb will be the nation's largest medical imaging sharing network and is open to anyone, Surges said.

Merge Honeycomb will officially be launched at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Conference in Chicago this November. Users can pre-register now for the free service at merge.com. 

According to Surges, Merge Honeycomb will reduce the need for duplicative scans, which costs the industry an average of $35 billion a year.  and exposes patients to harmful and unnecessary radiation.

According to a 2010 study by the Center for Devices and Radiological Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the radiation level in one CT scan of the abdomen is approximately the same as 400 chest X-rays.

Merge Honeycomb will also eliminate "the archaic practice" of using patients as transport vehicles. The need to burn X-rays, CT Scans, MRIs and other images onto CDs will be a thing of the past, Surges said. When a physician needs to view images, he or she can log into the image sharing network via any web browser. 

[See also: Merge Healthcare acquires Ophthalmic Imaging.]
 
It also speeds the time to treatment, according to Surges. Referring physicians will be able to view images in real-time and make diagnoses accordingly. And because the network is permission based, images can only be viewed by those who have been granted privilege.

"As a long time partner with Merge, we believe in the value of image sharing," said Gregory Veltri, CIO of Denver Health. "We're excited about the technology and business possibilities, in addition to the potential quality benefits that may result from Merge moving to the cloud."

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