Media Alert: Understanding What It Takes to Put a Medical Image Archive in "Neutral"

May 14, 2010

Free Iron Mountain Web seminar will help hospitals cut through the hype surrounding medical image archiving utility

BOSTON, May 14, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), the information management company, will hold a Web seminar May 18 for hospitals considering a central archive for MRIs, X-rays, CT scans and other patient data that is spread across separate technology systems.

The buzz surrounding centralized image-management platforms, or vendor neutral archives (VNAs), is growing, but the hype is also causing confusion over what these systems should offer. A VNA centralizes the storage and management of medical images from a healthcare organization's various picture archiving and communications systems (PACS). But many VNAs are not truly neutral in their ability to link systems made by different companies; rather, they serve only as extensions to a single PACS archive, making it harder for caregivers to access and share information. A VNA should be able to manage medical images wherever they reside, on-premises or remotely in the cloud. This capability ensures better business continuity and greater control over the long-term preservation of medical images.

The Web seminar, hosted by Healthcare IT News, will feature the "PACSman," Michael J. Cannavo, president of Image Management Consultants, and Ken Rubin, general manager of Healthcare Services for Iron Mountain.

WHAT: Titled Vendor Neutral Archives: Separating Fact from Fiction and Cutting through the Hype, this Web seminar will help attendees:

  • Distinguish a true VNA from claims of neutrality;
  • Determine the differences between an enterprise archive, a DICOM archive and a vendor neutral archive;
  • Identify if they would benefit from a vendor neutral archive;
  • Understand why it is difficult for image storage to be truly 'vendor neutral';
  • Develop strategies for centralizing images using cloud storage.

WHEN: May 18, 2010, 2 p.m. ET

ACCESS:www.ironmountain.com/vnafacts

About Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information management services that help organizations lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. The company's solutions enable customers to protect and better use their information--regardless of its format, location or lifecycle stage--so they can optimize their business and ensure proper recovery, compliance and discovery. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of information assets, including business records, electronic files, medical data, emails and more for organizations around the world. Visit www.ironmountain.com or follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/IronMountainInc for more information.

SOURCE: Iron Mountain Incorporated

Iron Mountain Incorporated
Christian T. Potts, 617-535-8721
public relations manager
christian.potts@ironmountain.com