In an era of physician-patient collaboration, one company has raised this relationship to new heights. Boca Raton, Florida-based mymedicalimages.com has just joined the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Member Advantage Program, an exclusive AAOS member-only program. mymedicalimages, a cloud-based image-sharing platform, enhances the treatment experience by allowing patients to send images prior to an appointment or a second opinion consultation.
Company CEO and Founder Dan Hodgeman, who has 25 years’ worth of AAOS meetings under his belt, states, “Physicians often have trouble obtaining images from patients, and when they do it is a slow process that usually involves the patient acting like a Sherpa and having to bring or mail in a CD. Twenty years ago, using a PACS—picture archiving and communications system—was acceptable. But the code used for PACS is old and no one has taken a hard look at improving on it.”
“One problem is that orthopedists don’t like a ‘courier’ system where the patient has to mail in a CDs…they want to be able to access those images immediately in the cloud. Things are slowed down if patients forget the disc or if they decide to get a second opinion, have images taken elsewhere, and then the CD doesn’t work for technical reasons. Besides, the fact is that the most up-to-date computers aren’t outfitted with a CD slot.”
Seconds Versus Days
mymedicalimages, which retains the original DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) format, is free for physicians and will work with any existing PACS system. The physician simply tells patients to go to mymedicalimages.com, where they easily create an account and in seconds can begin sharing and viewing their patients’ images on the HIPAA-compliant platform.
According to New York orthopedic surgeon David Helfet, M.D., FAAOS, this new technology brings a long overdue solution to many problems. “It’s common for us (surgeons) to receive requests from colleagues to provide an opinion on a case, only to receive a low-quality photo via an unsecured email or text. Even worse, new patients will often mail or bring in their images on CDs that we cannot open. By using mymedicalimages, I can see the images, reports, and notes within seconds, and at no cost.”
“We are excited to welcome mymedicalimages to the AAOS Member Advantage Program,” said Ben Harkinson, vice president, AAOS Commercial Solutions. “Together with our partners, we strive to offer value-added solutions to support AAOS Members. With turnkey access to reputable products and services, orthopaedic surgeons can find relevant resources that support their needs.”
One steadfast supporter of mymedicalimages is television personality Montel Williams who suffered from a stroke several years ago. Dan Hodgeman: “Because Montel has multiple sclerosis, he has to undergo a brain scan every six months. He told us about how it once took 11 days to get a CD from a hospital and when the new physician tried to use it, it didn’t work. Mr. Williams is a prime example of how the outdated industry truly hinders patient care.”
Dan Hodgeman: “No longer do physicians have to get bogged down in the details of how they will get images. mymedicalimages frees them up to focus on what they most want to do…take great care of patients.”
To get started with the alchemy of this novel partnership, go to mymedicalimages.com/aaos, AAOS members can click “sign up”, then choose “Health Care / Physician.” Contact mymedicalimages to install the “Uploader Button” with your website administrator. AAOS members will be provided a special code for Member Advantage benefits.
