Access to Medical Records

Pursuant to State Regulations, practitioners of medicine are required to maintain medical records for a specific period of time; a minimum of 5-7 years for adults, even longer for children.

Paul Bearpark, co-founder of Translate Medical, tells us that many hospitals and clinics are not compliant with these regulations, and the solutions that are available.

EHM: How serious is this?
PB: At the moment most hospitals have budgetary issues and are essentially sweeping this important mandate under the rug. I have unfortunately met technicians who have had to re-scan cancer patients because they cannot access previous medical records.

EHM: What causes the issue with accessing old medical records?
PB: When a facility upgrades a scanner and workstation, or switches equipment vendor provider, they are usually unable to read old records on the new equipment.  When a scanner and workstation get replaced, the means to access older data stored on media such as Magneto-Optical Disk or Tape are no longer available.  Also, data may be stored in a proprietary format, thus needing to be converted into DICOM for accessibility.  Quite often, sites will keep their dusty, unreliable, old equipment in cases of emergencies or legal suit, but maintaining older systems can prove to be very expensive and does not allow for comparison of studies on one workstation.

EHM: How can Translate Medical help?
PB: Translate Medical can convert data stored on outdated proprietary media into DICOM 3.0 compliant CDs or DVDs.  We can also place converted data onto a network attached storage device.  The advantage we have over competitors is that we can take charge of all the data and convert it off site in one go, offering a full turn-key solution for data conversion and migration needs.

EHM: Which modalities do you work with?
PB: We can work with all modalities - CT, MR, PET, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine or X-ray, and with all media types - DAT tape, MOD (Magneto-Optical Disk), WORM (Write once, Read many), VHS tape, DVD, DLT tape, D2 tape, or film.

EHM: Earlier you mentioned hospitals are experiencing budgetary issues. Is this service out of reach for cash strapped hospitals or smaller clinics?
PB: Budgeting issues have always been a factor, but even more so with today's economic status.  Hospitals have to deal with long budgetary cycles, and have many teams involved in the purchasing decision who may not understand the impact of their decisions or the legal implications.  Patients are entitled to their medical records within 30 days of a written request.  It is especially important to meet with all parties involved in the decision and explain how our process is crucial to ethical and efficient patient care.

Our initial consultancy service is free and has no strings attached.  We encourage Medical Imaging Departments to send us a sample of their older storage media which we will convert onto an updated media of their choice.  At the very least, they can have peace of mind, knowing their data is salvageable before making the decision to convert all or part of it.

A common misconception is that data conversion or migration comes with a hefty price tag.  Our philosophy is to provide the right solution for our customers, do it properly once, and keep costs to a minimum.  Last week we completed a project to convert 2 DVDs for a clinical research department in Boston, while also sending back 256 MODs on a Network Attached Storage device to another hospital in Vail.  Translate Medical has a responsibility to assist everyone's need to access their data and not cherry pick or prioritize larger more profitable jobs.

EHM: What other services do you provide?
PB: Translate Medical offers cost effective storage solutions providing faster access to on-line studies.  Our network attached storage devices are Raid 5 or higher, ranging from 1 terabyte (TB) to tens of terabytes.  Our storage solutions are capable of receiving images simultaneously from multiple DICOM modalities, and can even be used to store 3D and 4D reconstructed files, thus alleviating the need for reprocessing.  Similar to our free trial conversions we will also ship and install a storage device for a free 30 days trial with no obligation. Our storage solutions partners, Candelis and Rorke Data, are so efficient no one has ever sent back a device after a 30 day trial.  I strongly recommend our storage solutions to anyone experiencing congestion with their hard drive due to large image files, anyone requiring a large capacity storage solution, but does not have the budget for a high cost PACS system, or anyone having to reprocess and regenerate 3D/4D image sets prior to each review .

We also offer a line of accessories that extend the functionality of PACS and provide an interface into any environment.  Implementing our accessories can save time and money.  For instance, we can provide tools for converting paper and film into DICOM, tools for converting DICOM images into jpg, bmp, or avi file formats, as well as offer software to automate a hospital's data entry process or manage invoices.

EHM:  How do you see your business progressing over the next few years?
PB: President Obama has pushed Congress to mandate that all medical records be stored electronically within the next five years. President Obama has said computerized health records will save money and resources, as well as save lives by reducing medical errors. We aim to be your one stop consultants to convert, store and manage medical data.

EHM: If someone is worried they are not compliant with legal mandates for accessing medical records and would like more information, how can they contact you?
PB: To learn more, please visit the Contact Us page on our website www.translatemedical.com, and send us a brief description of your data issues.  They can even call to speak directly with a representative, 1-800-490-0451, or email contact@translatemedical.com.