Many traditional healthcare IT vendors are struggling to retain their prominence on the market after more conventional radiological film is being replaced by picture archiving and communication system technology, according to Jamie Coffin, vice president of Dell Healthcare and Life Sciences. In an interview with InformationWeek, Coffin said transitioning from a film-based clinical environment to picture archiving and communication systems allows hospitals to depend less on the hardware and software of original equipment manufacturers (such as Siemens and Phillips) and use other technology vendors to store, archive, retrieve, distribute and present digitized images.
Coffin said from a historical perspective, there has been no incentive for companies like GE, Phillips and Siemens who build MRI or CAT scanners to facilitate the transfer of data between a Phillips environment and a Siemens environment. However, it also gives companies like Dell an opportunity to develop new technological solutions that will more easily distribute medical images.
Coffin said his while company will not be focusing on telehealth technology, it has partnered with the American Medical Association to create a platform that will make it easier for healthcare providers to adopt IT associated with electronic medical records, ePrescribing and laboratory services.
