Technological Lag of Digitization for Patient Image Transfer

Despite digitization across healthcare, medical image transfer remains dependent on physical compact discs (CDs). We sought to characterize current image-transfer practices at major U.S. hospitals by surveying the largest hospital institution (defined as the largest individual hospital or integrated medical center) by bed size in each U.S. state.

Publicly available hospital website content was reviewed, and institutions were categorized by method of image transfer: routine CD use, in transition to digital platforms, phasing out CDs, or no CD use.

Among 50 institutions analyzed, 72% routinely relied on CDs for image transfer, 16% were in transition, 12% were actively phasing out CDs in favor of digital platforms and 0% had completely eliminated CD use. Alternative physical media such as USB drives or film were infrequently mentioned and were not identified as routine methods of image transfer.

Prioritizing secure and accessible digital image transfer is essential for improving healthcare efficiency, patient autonomy, data security, and continuity of care across institutions.