spotlight on technology & technique
Spotlight on ANKA Systems, Inc.'s EyeRoute System
EyeRoute's basic office system can improve workflow for doctors and staff.
By Leslie Goldberg, Assistant Editor
It is imperative that today's eyecare professionals provide a high level of service while operating cost-efficiently. To achieve this goal, practices are considering the move to computerized imaging systems. These systems save image-dependent practices time and money by enabling staff to view and edit images and data from virtually any computer at any location.
Anka Systems, Inc. (ANKA) offers Web-based software solutions that the company says can dramatically improve workflow for both doctors and staff. With ANKA's EyeRoute, practices can implement high-quality digital imaging systems at affordable prices, employing a system specifically designed for handling the growing number of digital images used in today's ophthalmology offices.
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ANKA's EyeRoute System makes patients' images accessible anytime and anywhere. |
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EyeRoute Basics
EyeRoute's basic office system consists of capture and viewing stations, central patient records and central storage. This configuration allows practices to capture study images on multiple computers, store studies on a central network, view the studies from multiple locations and back the studies up to DVDs. In addition, the space- and cost-efficient EyeRoute works on a practice's existing hardware and interfaces seamlessly with an office's electronic medical records system, utilizing existing data to populate the system's fields.
EyeRoute is a turnkey solution for managing and remotely accessing instrument data. EyeRoute connects to FA/ICG/color, OCT, visual fields, ultrasound, HRT, HRA, GDx, corneal topography, microperimetry and other imaging systems. ANKA says the EyeRoute system offers secure remote access to patient files and provides 1000GB of storage so that image space and file backup are no longer issues. Security and tracking are HIPAA compliant, and automatic importing saves technician time.
James D. Keil, administrator and CFO at Vitreoretinal Consultants in Houston, Texas, states, "I was previously concerned that we had no way to really integrate our diagnostic photos, not only for medical review, but for security and backup purposes as well. Most practices only realize the importance of integrated systems backups when they need them, which is often too late. We knew we needed a solution for diagnostics across our multiple locations and ANKA was able to solve it seamlessly."
The EyeRoute system is customizable and the ANKA team works closely with clients to design a system that meets the specific needs of the practice. For a small practice, the system could run less than $30,000.
How the System Works
When a user enters the EyeRoute system, a schedule of patients appears in a record populated with fields such as name, birth date, patient history and images. From this record, a doctor can click on the desired field and immediately pull up a patient's history, and then view and compare fundus, ultrasound, OCT and cornea topography images to track changes to the eye. The doctor can take basic measurements, and even add notes and diagnoses to the patient's record. The doctor has the ability to immediately pull up images while with a patient and display previous images from the patient's history so the patient can better understand his or her condition. Measurements and notes can be made on the image and saved, while not affecting the original image.
It is possible to zoom in and enlarge all images for a greater degree of detail. Images can be shown in multiple formats, allowing for comparisons between ultrasounds, OCTs and fundus images. A copy-and-paste function is available and can be used with Microsoft programs such as Powerpoint for presentations. The system is HIPAA-compliant, keeping records secure and encrypted, with all records backed up to central storage.
Key Customer Benefits
ANKA says its centralized networking solution offers physicians a number of benefits, the most outstanding being the ability to access files anywhere and at any time. Files can be viewed and edited from any computer, whether located internally, at a satellite office, at home or on the road.
Dave Brown, M.D., of Vitreoretinal Consultants says, "The [EyeRoute System] allows our six-office practice to seamlessly view OCT and FA images, as well as ultrasonography from any location in real time. Patients benefit from instantaneous second opinions from different partners on clinical trial inclusion or clinical decisions."
A second important feature is the ability to cut-and-paste images into any Microsoft program. "As our surgeons do a lot of outside presentations and teaching, the ability to seamlessly 'drag' images into Powerpoint (either on the PC or Mac side) is amazing. The photos automatically resize themselves to fit the resolution of the presentation," says Dr. Brown.
Alexander Walsh, M.D., a retinal physician at USC Doheny in Los Angeles, states, "EyeRoute has streamlined our practice, increased patient satisfaction and made our jobs easier. Surprisingly, most other systems out there today are not Web-based, or they use a primitive networking approach. I believe that all diagnostic imaging systems should and will be Web-based in the next 5 years. ANKA just did it far ahead of everyone else."
Contact Information
Contact ANKA System, Inc. at (703) 714-0700 or visit the company Web site at www.ankasystems.com.