The Veterans Affairs Department plans to develop an application so its healthcare providers can access medical images stored in its VistA electronic health record system via mobile devices.
The technology will enable VA to speed up diagnosis and treatment and increase communications among radiologists and referring physicians.
Medical imaging technology is the next step to help connect VA’s healthcare system to the data it needs to reduce the effects of geographic disparity and improve the care of veterans.
It would provide the ability to view all images and reports available in VistA Imaging using approved mobile devices, which currently is solely the iPad. VA recently defined the requirements it needs for Web and mobile access to a medical imaging solution and has sought information from industry on the expertise that is available in a recent announcement in Federal Business Opportunities. Submissions are due Nov. 28.
“Connecting this network into a meaningful and seamless healthcare system in which veterans receive the right care no matter where they are in relation to the system’s resources is critical in meeting the needs of veterans,” VA said in its request for information (RFI).
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For VA, it is important that any future browser, platform and picture archiving and communications (PACS) system for mobile technology is vendor agnostic so it will be easily accessible. Any mobile solution will have to be certified by the Food and Drug Administration and provide patient data protection, adhere to strict IT policies and be able to be centrally managed.
Among the needed business functions, a mobile imaging application would enable users to select the VA site to query, patient lookup, search images by type of procedure or by images procedure date or by ordering physician, according to the VA notice.
