Michael J. Gray, is a consultant specializing in the digital management and distribution of medical image data. His areas of expertise are market analysis, technology analysis, strategic planning, equipment utilization, needs assessment, workflow analysis and vendor analysis/selection.

His unique perspective has proven invaluable to radiology, cardiology and information system administrators planning the introduction of new image management technologies into their imaging departments and hospitals. Gray routinely speaks to both national and local healthcare organizations on subjects such as technology, business case modeling and system deployment strategies.

Q: As organizations research various solutions for vendor neutral archive (VNA), what are the most important elements to consider?

A: I would say there are three elements most important to consider. The first would be the company profile. Choosing a VNA is a major decision and a technical one. You need to look at the viability of a company and its long-term plans for developing the VNA.

Secondly, you need to thoroughly investigate the current features and functionality of the VNA. This investigation should go beyond the basics and include an exercise matching those features with the applications you will require of the VNA, especially how IT will interact with and manage the VNA. There needs to be a thorough investigation of the VNA’s tag mapping (data exchange capabilities), and its life-cycle management capabilities. These features and functions are major decisions. Most people know eight to 10 features they’ll want when considering a VNA and that’s an important discussion to have.

Lastly, and this ties into the second element, what is the organization looking for? A VNA should be expected to last seven to 10 years at a minimum, because you’re moving all of your image data to the VNA. You don’t want to have to move that data again.

Q: How important is the ongoing vendor/organization relationship to the process?

A: This is a tricky question that can go either way. Do I already have a relationship with the vendor, and if this relationship is good but the vendor has little experience, what’s the value, other than trust? There is certainly a comfort level, which is nice, but what will that vendor be able to provide you?

On the other hand, you could be led astray by a vendor who you have a good relationship with, and they simply didn’t know any better. It is a double-edged sword.

What is very important is if you don’t have a relationship with a vendor you’re considering purchasing a VNA from you need to ask yourself if you think you can develop one.        

As I said, this is a long-term investment. If you don’t feel you’ll be able to develop a positive relationship with them, you should reconsider that purchase because you’re going to spend the next 10 years with that vendor, basically giving them the keys to your data. You’ll have to count on their ability to be there when you need assistance — be there to develop the product to your specifications and build trust so you know your vendor will take care of you over the long run, not just during implementation.

Q: What will most organizations find to be the most challenging when selecting/implementing a VNA solution?

A: When selecting a VNA solution, most organizations discover they do not have the complete list of services they need. One of the most important things to do internally is sit down and figure out what you’ll need and how you’ll use your VNA.

A needs assessment is a key function, along with an honest look at the possibilities down the road. A lot of organizations probably haven’t thought of everything. I think it’s important to use this as a measuring stick for your organization. This is a good opportunity to discuss the future - what will you be doing today versus tomorrow and how you think you’re going to get there. 

Implementing the VNA is also a good time to ascertain what the capability of your IT department is. IT needs to have the capabilites to take over the data-management process after just a couple of days of training.

The implementation is really all about the IT department. They need to develop the ability to manage the VNA as much as possible. If they are incapable of managing this in-house, whether because they are overworked or don’t have the experience, they need to be able to find a vendor with the ability to help not only implement the VNA but manage it in the long term.

The IT department will be the ones vetting the VNA, because they’ll be the ones working with it. In reality, only about five people in the organization will touch the VNA. Radiology will certainly use it on a daily basis, but the back end will be the responsibility of the IT department.

Q: How valuable will OnBase Anywhere be to organizations? How will it most greatly impact them?

A: The ability to exchange information is hugely important. OnBase Anywhere’s capacity to deliver images and information to another organization also on OnBase can’t be understated. Being able to share all of that unstructured data and delivering within an organization is highly impactful and beneficial.

Think of the money saved when the ability to access this information is available. The images surgeons need to access will be there.