Radiology without boundaries: a cloud transformation story

A leading US regional healthcare provider - with more than 300-beds serving multiple counties across a densely populated metropolitan area, has taken a significant leap in modernizing its radiology operations by transitioning from a legacy on-premises PACS to Philips HealthSuite Imaging, a fully managed, SaaS-based solution hosted on AWS the leading public cloud provider in the US. With over 225,000 exams processed annually across a multi-site environment, the organization needed a secure, scalable imaging platform capable of supporting a dispersed team of radiologists while offering high performance, seamless integration with EMR systems, and the flexibility to adapt to evolving clinical demands. By replacing its aging on-premises PACS with Philips fully cloud-based, solution hosted on AWS, the organization redefined how it delivers imaging enabling radiologists to work efficiently, securely, and collaboratively from virtually anywhere. The result was not just a technology upgrade, but a complete transformation in clinical operations, one built on a foundation of reliability, performance, and partnership.

Transitioning from an on-premises system to a cloud-based solution is a monumental decision for any healthcare organization. It requires not only the right technology but also a trusted partner with deep domain expertise in imaging, proven enterprise-scale deployment experience, and a commitment to long-term collaboration. For this healthcare provider, Philips was that partner.

Moving from an on-premise solution to the cloud is a strategic decision that engages a broad range of stakeholders. The health system needed a partner with deep domain expertise in imaging, proven enterprise-scale deployment experience, and a commitment to long-term collaboration. Philips brought more than technology: it brought confidence.

At the heart of this transformation there was a new way of working enhanced by the power of Cloud. Enabling radiologists to work remotely means to let them have access from wherever they are - whether inside the hospital, at home, or on-call from another facility – making sure they do not longer face the limitations of being tethered to a specific workstation. With secure login through a standard browser, the solution’s highly functional, web-enabled diagnostic workspace gives radiologists secure access to imaging studies virtually from anywhere, enabling a seamless remote reading experience with real-time collaboration and advanced visualization features. This has improved shift planning and work-life balance without compromising diagnostic accuracy.

For many healthcare providers, addressing radiologist workload and pressure on committing on agreed reporting times has become a higher priority. This has led to a higher turnover rate that includes job-hopping and leaving the occupation entirely. Prior to the transition, collaboration between radiologists and referring physicians was often fragmented. Systems were siloed, and the process of sharing studies or reviewing findings across facilities was cumbersome and time-consuming. Today, with a centralized cloud-native platform, the solution integrates seamlessly with the health System’s EMR and dictation software, creating an efficient workflow across its multi-site system. Advanced features built directly into the viewer enhance visualization and streamline image access, allowing radiologists to interpret studies with greater confidence. These improvements not only lead to higher-quality reports and more precise diagnoses but also drive greater clinical productivity, enabling radiologists to work more efficiently while improving collaboration with referring physicians.

Beyond access and collaboration, the health system needed a solution that could scale to meet both current demands and future growth. Through continuous deployment of the latest features, agile scaling, and managed storage, the Philips SaaS model empowers the organization to adapt imaging capacity in real-time as patient volumes fluctuate without the maintenance burden of on-prem infrastructure. The transition also enhanced disaster recovery and improved cybersecurity standards.

Since go-live, the system has maintained consistent uptime, with radiologists noting improved load times, smoother transitions between studies, and increased image quality, even during peak usage.

As a SaaS platform, Philips HealthSuite imaging ensures the organization is always running the most current version of the software where feature upgrades and security patches are always available, with no downtime or manual intervention required. This helps reduce the burden on IT teams, where the cloud-based infrastructure allows for agile scaling to meet imaging demands while maintaining strict compliance with healthcare data regulations. Additionally, Philips helps with management of storage over time, scaling services up or down as imaging needs to change.

Despite the complexity of the deployment, including integration with third parties, the go-live was achieved without disruption to clinical operations. Migration projects, particularly in healthcare, are often pivotal moments condensed with challenges. Two major concerns typically dominate such a transition: data loss and workflow interruption. Any disruption to these critical areas could have serious consequences for clinical care, operational efficiency, and patient safety. Data loss during migration is a significant concern for healthcare organizations, where millions of patient images and reports are stored and must remain secure.

To mitigate the risk of data loss, Philips’ migration team followed a robust and systematic approach where the entire migration process was carried out in stages, with rigorous backups and fail-safes in place, allowing the organization to maintain continuous access to legacy data while the migration was in progress. This approach ensured that at no point was critical imaging data inaccessible or lost during the transfer. One of the key differentiators in this migration was the continuous support. From the very beginning, the healthcare provider was supported by a dedicated group of migration experts, project managers, and customer success teams. These teams were in constant communication with the healthcare provider’s internal teams, providing real-time guidance, addressing any emerging concerns, and ensuring the project stayed on track.