BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life Image, the world’s largest medical evidence network for clinical and imaging data, today announced the availability of Life Image Network Connector (LINC). It is the company’s latest interoperability solution, developed due to demand from smaller healthcare organizations to digitally exchange medical images and other health data with the company’s market-leading network of large Academic Medical Centers, specialty hospitals, research organizations, and health systems. The need to share advanced patient data such as imaging has been exposed as a systemwide weakness by COVID-19 and new federal information blocking and patient-access rules that are set to go into effect next year, which must be addressed by all providers.
According to a recent Life Image survey, nearly 40% of patients had to go into their doctor’s office to request records in person and an equal number were given their images and health records on a CD, and sometimes on film. By digitizing complex clinical data and facilitating exchange through a secure cloud, the process of collecting and sharing health records is easier for healthcare organizations and the patients they serve. LINC enables bi-directional exchange of diagnostic images and reports with other facilities or patients digitally across the Life Image network, with supplemental integration tools available. The solution is easy to implement and can be configured without on-site IT personnel. LINC also supports digital sharing of imaging and clinical reports directly with patients; helping providers comply with ONC rules.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the ONC interoperability rules, have brought patient data access challenges to the forefront, and healthcare organizations are recognizing the urgent need for information exchange through the cloud without costly and non-scalable virtual private networks (VPN),” said Matthew A. Michela, President and CEO of Life Image. “LINC gives community providers and healthcare entrepreneurs access to Life Image’s 13,000 clinical touchpoints connected to 160,000 U.S. providers and 58,000 global clinics. Network interoperability replaces outdated methods such as CDs that create inconvenience, delays, and increased anxiety, negatively effecting both patient care and healthcare operations.”
As healthcare organizations prepare to comply with the ONC’s interoperability rules, a major challenge is deploying tested technology solutions to allow patients to securely access their electronic health data through smartphone apps and modern software. With LINC, patients obtain their data and images via a secure cloud connection.
If you would like to learn more about the Life Image Network Connector, visit https://go.lifeimage.com/get-linc. Life Image will also be hosting a lunch and learn on radiology-centered patient innovation at the virtual RSNA 2020 event on December 2, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. ET. For more details or to register visit https://go.lifeimage.com/rsna2020-lunch-and-learn.
About Life Image
Life Image is the world’s largest medical evidence network providing access to points of care and curated clinical and imaging data. It is the only company in the market today with Real World Imaging™ that provides large-scale, heterogeneous, de-identified imaging sets that are linkable to other longitudinal data. Founded in 2008, Life Image has created a digital platform using industry-leading interoperability standards to connect 13,000 facilities with more than 160,000 U.S. providers and 58,000 global clinics. Its network of hospitals, physicians, patients, life sciences, medical devices, and telehealth is interconnected with a technical ecosystem of EHRs, PACS, AI solutions, cloud environments, and analytics platforms. Life Image is the parent company of Mammosphere, a patient engagement platform that empowers women to take control of their breast health by storing all their breast imaging in one secure, online location. For more information about Life Image, please visit www.lifeimage.com, visit its blog and follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
