Despite some general concerns about keeping data safe and secure, cloud-based image storage was up in 2015, according to a recent report published by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

HIMSS Analytics analyzed data from more than 140 leaders from the healthcare and radiology industries for the report, examining which technologies providers are using to meet their imaging needs.  

Brendan FitzGerald, HIMSS analytics research director, told RadiologyBusiness.com that image storage is a hot topic right now throughout the market.

“For the most part, we’ve seen multiple servers across organizations, we’ve seen single dedicated servers, we’ve seen vendor neutral archives,” FitzGerald said. “There are a lot of options out there for storage.”

FitzGerald added that image repositories and the cloud are among the storage options growing in popularity. Cloud-based storage in particular was used by 11.5 percent of respondents in 2015, up from 7.5 percent in 2014.

“I think the cloud is certainly a buzzword in all technology, but to see it slightly increase year after year was a nice surprise,” Fitzgerald said. “Obviously, there are still a lot of questions people have—some unease or misunderstanding about the security of the cloud approach, but to see that increase is certainly a positive for the storage aspect of imaging.”

The data also found that 47 percent of respondents were using an enterprise image viewer. Of those who aren’t currently using the technology, 37 percent either have strategic plans in place to use one or are at least considering such a plan.

And it looks as if a lot more radiologists may be viewing images through their smartphones or tablets sometime in the near future. While only a small percentage of providers currently offer such access, more than 35 percent have plans in place to allow access through tablets and more than 28 percent have plans to provide it through smartphones.

The full HIMSS study also includes information about value-based reimbursements, accountable care organizations, and other topics relevant to the imaging industry. This newest study, and others in the company’s Essential Brief series, can be found on its website.