Picture-archiving and communication systems (PACS) are all the rage in the US and elsewhere, but in this part of the world a lack of awareness is still holding many back, said Topcon Healthcare ANZ’s Lachy Wheeler.
Demonstrating Topcon’s PACS, Harmony, at the recent RANZCO Congress, Wheeler said any practice using a mixed bag of technologies or systems which don’t come with PACS (such as those from Nidek or Optopol) would benefit from using a system like Harmony. It saves time, improves efficiency and reduces errors by connecting all of a practice’s diagnostic instruments, regardless of manufacturer, in one secure, web-based platform, he said. It also supports artificial intelligence integration and telehealth systems and can take over the role of, or connect with, a practice’s patient electronic medical record (EMR) system, eliminating the need to re-enter patient information at each diagnostic instrument.
Its intuitive design streamlines your practice workflow and organises all your data within a single screen, said Wheeler, while its data analytics and reporting tools support your clinical and business operations. It even provides a secure medical-grade storage system where data is encrypted and backed up, he said.
A number of private surgeries in New Zealand have already adopted Harmony, said Kiwi distributor Titan Optical’s Cam Gordon, and it’s also being evaluated and is likely to be rolled out through several of the country’s public health regions in the not-too-distant future. So the word is getting out there, he said. “People love it because of the device agnosticity – it will talk to pretty much any piece of equipment in the market in some way, shape or form.”
