Imaging Economics Interview Q&A

What is it that WAN optimization products do?

WAN Optimization products such as Circadence’s MVO platform substantially increase the performance of applications which use the network. With Circadence MVO file transfers, including medical images, are much faster and their delivery is ensured. By implementing MVO WAN Optimization, it’s possible to increase transfer speeds by more than 300 percent. For example, using Circadence, one healthcare organization was able to reduce the time required to complete image transfers from almost four minutes down to 13 seconds.

MVO WAN optimization significantly prevents corrupt, incomplete or lost files transferred across the network. Increasing data integrity and reliability improves the quality of healthcare provided by medical imaging institutions and limits the number of resends that are typically required. Implementing optimization maximizes return on investment in bandwidth and decreases or eliminates the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades.

Can you give the bird’s eye view of Circadence MVO for Mobile in a health care setting?

Circadence MVO for Mobile provides full end-end optimization between applications and content. In the healthcare setting, this could include Hospitals; remote clinics; distributed call centers; remote offices; and, individual users on laptops, tablets and smartphones.  In healthcare, typical applications that MVO will be utilized for are EMR/EHR and image study transfers such as with PACS, where MVO facilitates fast and effective patient care and increases the provider’s capabilities. 

What sets Circadence MVO for Mobile apart from similar solutions?

Circadence MVO is currently the only WAN Optimization solution that supports MS Windows, Android, and Apple iPhone/iPads.  Circadence is the most innovative mobile optimization provider and offers the most deployment options available including cloud, hardware, software, VM, and 3^rd party integration with the MVO SDK. Circadence MVO also offers leading performance transferring all types of image studies and enables full optimization without caching or storing content or modifying it in any way.

Highlights:

- OEM integration with 3^rd party platforms and applications, such as PACS imaging systems;
- Broadest deployment capabilities, reducing infrastructure costs and accelerating ROI;
- Full support for all mobile platforms including Windows, Android, and Apple iOS;
- Optimizes all data dynamically in real-time, without caching or modifying;
- Circadence patented Link Resiliency maintains application session persistence;

In recent years, how has the emergence of mobile devices changed the health care environment, specifically the radiology department?
The emergence of mobile devices, specifically high performance tablets with high definition displays and strong graphics performance, has enabled radiology professionals to “untether” themselves from the imaging systems. Essentially, mobility enables practitioners to be closer to their patients, provide a higher level of care and greatly increase efficiency. As the capabilities of the mobile platform increase, the demands placed on the network infrastructure increase substantially. The size of image studies increase near exponentially as they increase in definition, making WAN Optimization essential for effective use. The capabilities mobility brings to radiology also are increasing rapidly and in many ways are creating positive changes in the dynamic between caregiver and patient. Mobile access to patient studies enables healthcare professionals to be closer to their patients, and to being the technology to the patient versus forcing the patient to come to the technology.

How can radiology practices utilize WAN optimization? What are some of the benefits?

WAN Optimization such as Circadence MVO is essential for delivering radiology studies across networks. The broad deployment options offered by Circadence enable radiology practices to implement optimization in ways that best suit their particular practices. Distributed radiology offices can use WAN Optimization to provide much higher performance transferring content between offices. Centralized radiology providers can dramatically increase the number of studies their radiologists are able to read, increasing revenue and decreasing costs. Mobile WAN Optimization enables practitioners to access even larger, high definition studies from wherever they happen to be, improving patient care and increasing access.  

Does the Circadence MVO for Mobile have to comply with HIPAA guidelines? If so, how is that achieved?

Circadence MVO can be a key component of an organization’s HIPAA compliance program. Under HIPAA, healthcare organizations must ensure that patients’ privacy is protected; this includes protecting confidential information. Unlike other WAN Optimization vendors, the Circadence MVO Optimization platform does not cache, store, or decrypt information sent across the network. Circadence MVO enables healthcare providers to implement the leading WAN Optimization platform across their organizations while maintaining compliance with current guidelines.

What are some of the difficulties when installing/utilizing the Circadence WAN optimization solution?

As with any fast changing landscape, there can be challenges as organizations adapt. The healthcare industry in particular is facing an extraordinary amount of change in the way that healthcare services are provided and accessed, with new capabilities being announced daily. For an industry as regulated as healthcare the challenges can be administrative and procedural as much, or more so, than technical. Additionally, the increasing focus on technology is forcing medical practitioners at all levels to become more familiar with systems, terminology, and practices that may be entirely new to them. As regulators, providers, and practitioners become more educated and comfortable with technology the pace of adoption is increasing and administrative barriers to adoption of emerging technologies are being removed. Circadence places an emphasis on making the MVO optimization platform as easy to implement and manage as possible, both technically and administratively, allowing providers to focus more on providing high quality services.