Best Practices To Choose PACS VNA Or Storage VNA For Healthcare

By Chris Magyar, CTO, Seven10 Storage Software

Healthcare organizations are often encouraged to acquire and implement a vendor neutral archive (VNA) as an enterprise medical imaging data repository. The idea is simple — migrate DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) images archived in departmental picture archiving and communications system (PACS) applications into a centralized PACS VNA.

Once migrated, users of DICOM-enabled imaging applications will have access to imaging data stored in the PACS VNA.  The advantages of doing this include eliminating the need to migrate images each time there’s a PACS solution refresh and most importantly, providing a single point of DICOM access to consolidated data.

However, not all PACS customers require a PACS VNA.  Realizing the claimed and implied benefits, or ROI, for a PACS VNA investment can be difficult. The challenge presents itself because (1) DICOM data migrations from PACS are notoriously time consuming and expensive and (2) PACS to PACS VNA integrations are inherently complex — the quality and performance of diagnostic and clinical workflows are easily impaired by sub-optimal integrations. 

Resolution is often left for the imaging department to address with their PACS vendor — who may lack the ability or motivation to assist. Also, a PACS VNA does not magically eliminate the need to migrate data from aging or end-of-life (EOL) storage technologies. 

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