McKesson launches digital medical photograph solution

The company says that the solution integrates with electronic records, and will ultimately be a seamless interface with any clinical databases.

Jerry Flynn, business development manager said: “PhotoManager is designed to capture digital medical photographs and manage the viewing of them in accordance with patient’s consent – factors which are so critical to the effectiveness of healthcare IT today.”

Potential benefits suggested by McKesson include a facility for phased implementation, with an affordable entry-level; money saved on printing costs and an increased availability of images making them more likely to be reviewed as part of patient care. Additionally, PhotoManager allows for better tracking of photographs as it provides a central repository for images to be uploaded, both by medical photographers and by authorised users.

Andrew Johnson, director of medical illustration at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said the product had been steered by a group of experienced NHS managers, selected from the Institute of Medical Illustrators. “This front-line involvement ensures that the business solution is relevant to the needs of clinical image systems managers and gives credibility to the product,” he added.

PhotoManager is powered by iBASE, specialists in solutions for the storage, organisation and retrieval of media files. McKesson will partner with iBASE who now have 16 NHS Medical Photography Departments using their solution.

Jeremy Chandler, managing director of McKesson UK said: “Having worked with UK trusts and the global healthcare industry for over 14 years, we recognised an ideal opportunity in McKesson PhotoManager as a management tool supporting shared care amongst clinicians in a controlled and auditable manner. As healthcare specialists, McKesson, working with iBASE has been able to develop a system that meets the needs of the NHS, enhances patient care and harnesses the exploitation of new technology.”