By Cristin Gardner

In today’s highly mobile and connected world, consumers have grown more accustomed to instantaneous data sharing in other aspects of their lives, and expect the same for their healthcare delivery experiences. We can share just about anything we want with our entire network with a few clicks; unless it’s our health data.

Take breast health as one example. Statistics show that 60 million women in the United States get regular mammograms. Women are increasingly demanding better information and more transparency regarding their breast health, as having access to prior mammograms is critical for accurate and efficient cancer detection.

Unfortunately, the majority of patients today must still navigate a healthcare system in which data blocking is an entrenched business strategy and physician practices cling to old technology such as faxes and compact discs (CDs) to deliver data to patients. This becomes particularly problematic for patients when considering that most laptops and tablets don’t come equipped with disc drives, and the majority of patients do not have easy access to a fax machine. This creates an environment where capturing a patient’s medical history, and arming them with their imaging data in a usable format, is an ongoing challenge.

Patients and providers alike face several barriers when it comes to breast imaging. These barriers often stand in the way of achieving early diagnosis of breast cancer in the most optimal way, and drive millions of false positive diagnoses each year. Some of the most significant challenges include:

1. Lack of prior mammograms
Mammography screening is the best early detection method for early stage, treatable breast cancer. When detected on a mammogram, it is typically 96-99% curable without significant therapy. Because every woman’s breast tissue is unique, clinicians rely on a woman’s prior breast health images to determine what is considered “normal” for each patient, versus an early sign of breast cancer. Sadly, at least one in four women do not have their prior exams available at the time of their screening. When these exams are not available, the patient may experience false positives (results that incorrectly indicate an abnormality) and redundant costly testing, or medical decisions are made with the limited information available. Research reveals that when these prior exams are available at the time of screening, women, together with their providers, are able to make informed decisions and there is significant clinical, experiential and economic value created. Furthermore, having the history readily available reduces the stress that patients experience due to uncertain test results.

2. Data accessibility
As patients work to take more control of their healthcare journey, they are stymied without access to consumer-friendly resources, information, and tools needed to properly manage their care. Given the reach of the Internet and advanced digital technology, one would think that it would be easy for patients and physicians to manage clinical images. However, the healthcare system has historically lacked a way to manage the flow of medical images and associated reports from diverse locations in a secure, HIPAA-compliant manner and allow them to be accessed in a unified place. Too often, patients must bear the burden of collecting and couriering their medical records. While a vast majority of providers have moved to electronic records, many still rely on CDs, films and faxes to deliver imaging data, like mammograms, to patients. Complicating the digital exchange further for the patient is the sheer size of imaging files.

3. Interoperability between systems
At the heart of data accessibility issues is a lack of interoperability between clinical systems, as well as competitive pressures that discourage the free flow of mammograms between providers. In mammography, the applications available for image storage and retrieval have historically been manufacturer-specific at the expense of interoperability. Research has shown, however, that cloud-based models offer promise for breast imaging providers and patients in improving care at breast centers while also reducing costs.

4. Administrative burden
Hospitals and outpatient imaging centers allocate significant manpower and financial resources chasing down prior patient records, creating and mailing CDs and downloading images from discs into picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). This can also slow delivery of care for breast cancer patients and negatively affect healthcare outcomes. Adding to the administrative burden is the duplication of work that occurs when the radiologist must prepare a report addendum once the prior mammogram is received.

5. Higher associated costs
Early detection that is made possible with access to prior mammograms not only helps save lives, but also reduces medical costs, unnecessary radiation exposure, and time away from work for individual patients. Beyond the individual impact, health plans also face significant costs, largely associated with the incidence of “false positives” that require the patient to undergo further diagnostic testing, which comes at a significant cost.

Faced with these challenges, healthcare organizations are working hard to uncover innovative solutions and strategies that enhance breast imaging in order to empower women in their own healthcare journey, while improving outcomes and avoiding excess costs. It is well-proved that having historical clinical information alongside new imaging has tremendous benefits for both the patient and provider. As a result, women need an accessible, secure mechanism to request their records digitally from wherever they have received care, upload any records available at home, store them long-term and share them with anyone who needs access.

This can be accomplished through cloud-based image exchange networks, which function as digital patient engagement platforms and offer a secure way for women to access their complete breast health history. In contrast to historical exchange platforms, these cloud-based networks are system-agnostic, addressing the issues of interoperability. By having their personal medical records readily available in a consolidated way, women can make sure their current care team has diagnostic-quality images of mammograms prior to screening.

Cloud-based image exchange networks are also proving invaluable in lifesaving clinical research projects focused on improving breast imaging. The Women Informed to Screen Depending On Measures of risk, or WISDOM Study, represents one such opportunity. With an anticipated 100,000 women participants, the study’s goal is to help determine the optimal frequency and method of breast cancer screening to drive positive clinical outcomes for generations to come. The Athena Breast Health Network is leveraging a cloud-based solution to provide critical network management of medical images and associated clinical information required to conduct this clinical trial.

With the potential to improve communication and shared decision-making between patients and providers, it’s imperative that providers keep pace with technology and data advancements in breast imaging to support improved clinical outcomes and early lifesaving diagnoses.

About the author: Cristin Gardner is director of consumer products and markets at Life Image.