More of us are making environmentally friendly choices in our lives so how can we make our radiology practices more planet-friendly? One solution is reducing our production of traditional X-Ray films.
Hardcopy film is environmentally unfriendly. With recent technological advances, we can lower our impact on the environment by moving away from traditional X-Ray films and replacing them with digital files of your images and electronic delivery of your medical imaging report.
Many referring practitioners have joined us in our campaign to be environmentally conscious and elected to go “filmless” and “paperless”. We can tailor this service to your referring doctor’s needs.
Most referring doctors will be able to view your images from their rooms via our Visage viewer. Patient images are securely stored electronically on our PACS (Picture and Archiving Communication System). This secure system encrypts your results, requiring your doctor to install software and sign into a secure portal each time.
Other than environmental considerations, going filmless also has other benefits:
- Fast – Medical reports and images are delivered electronically to your doctor as soon as our radiologist completes your imaging report.
- Efficient – films are never lost or forgotten as they are always stored securely and are available on request from our clinics.
- Convenient – you no longer have to wait for the images to be printed and store them at home
- Greater image quality – your doctor will have the ability to see more, through high-quality digital images
As images are stored, we can always print films at a later date if required for you to collect from our clinic. Images can also be supplied on a USB, CD or DVD.
Our new Patient Portal gives patients an opportunity to be “filmless” as well. Our patient portal enables patients the flexibility to store, share and view their own images electronically.
Stay tuned for other changes we’re making to reduce our footprint.
If you have any effective strategies or new ideas we’d love to hear from you, please email info@imagingassociates.net.au
