Executive Brief:

It’s Time to Ditch the Disk:

Executive Insights from Ambra Health, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Mount Sinai, and Weill Cornell Medical College

CDs still act as the prevalent method of image exchange across the US healthcare system despite 75% of healthcare experts surveyed in a consumer report believing that eliminating CDs would improve patient care. CDs place an enormous amount of pressure on patients.

We are asking a patient, who is often ill or worried about a condition, to drive and pick-up a CD of their imaging. They are then asked to be responsible for this CD. The same CD can easily be lost, broken, or encrypted leading to a less than efficient appointment.

CDs impede the lives of providers and administrators, too. Healthcare facilities are wasting over 84 days per year on CD upload, burning, and patient data matching. Relying on a medium based transfer method like CDs leads to increased spending for hospitals, sometimes well over $100,000 a year on courier costs alone.

In this executive brief, imaging thought leaders share insights on:

• The negative impact of CDs on patient care.
• Interoperability and standards across image exchange. 
• Money and time wasted by facilities and patients alike.