Business issues
Novant Health Corp. captured and stored patient image files on film. When a physician or technician needed a file, staff members had to locate, retrieve, deliver and set up the film. This made it difficult to always provide medical staff with timely access to critical patient data. The mishandling of a film file could cause patient data to be lost. And storing imaging data in many locations would make it difficult to comply with emerging U.S. federal regulations.

Solutions
Solution components included a Siemens SIENET picture archiving and communications system (PACS) integrated with a Siemens NOVIUS radiology information system (RIS); StorageTek's Application Storage Manager (ASM) software; two StorageTek PowderHorn® 9310 automated cartridge systems; StorageTek T9840B and T9940A tape drives; and a StorageTek 9176 disk system.

Financial benefits
Novant Health Corp. has greatly reduced its costs associated with purchasing, processing, storing and handling film. At current rates, Novant Health is saving $2.1 million per year in money that would have otherwise been spent on film. The amount of annual savings on film purchases will grow as more departments begin using the system and as film costs rise.

Business benefits
The StorageTek solution provides physicians with extremely fast access to patient imaging studies. A 10-megabyte file can be retrieved from disk and delivered to a physician or technician in three seconds. The same size file can be delivered from high-speed T9840B tape in 30 seconds and from high-capacity T9940A tape in two minutes. The solution also helps protect the integrity of data. It eliminates the risks inherent in storing critical patient information on plastic film.

Technology benefits
Novant Health Corp. now has the security of better disaster recovery protection for its radiological imaging data. The ASM software automatically makes dual copies of all files and places a copy on each of the two PowderHorn libraries. This approach allows the libraries, which are 76 miles apart, to back up each other for disaster recovery.