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Horos, a free open-source DICOM medical imaging viewer for Apple computers, has been adopted globally by tens of thousands of diverse users, from clinicians and academic researchers to lawyers and patients who want to view their medical images.

As such, after downloading Horos the next steps you should take depend on the reasons you downloaded the software in the first place.

So what are the most common use cases for Horos, and what should you do in each instance?

Physicians need access to the highest-quality and most up-to-date information in order to make the best decisions for their patients. However, patient data is often spread across multiple platforms that don't always play nicely with each other. Electronic health record (EHR) systems store textual information like patient visit notes and test results. Separately, picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) provide storage and access to medical images.

Radiologic technologists, or "rad techs" as they are often called, play a key role in the medical imaging supply chain, and they are often the people within the practice who take a hands-on, active role with the technology. They're also responsible for making sure medical imaging is of a high quality, and that it arrives in the correct hands. Recent technology advancements have improved their ability to share medical imaging electronically, greatly improving their workflow.

So how has this process improved and how are radiologic technologists taking advantage of electronic image sharing?

The possibility of internet disruptions and outages is one of the main reasons why some medical providers are reluctant to switch from their current onsite PACS medical imaging storage solution to a cloud-based option. For many, the benefits of the cloud seem very alluring, but the downsides that come with an outage seem too risky for a business that depends on being constantly connected.

Institutions that choose to upgrade or replace their legacy picture archiving and communications system (PACS) are faced with the thorny question of what to do with the historical data stored on the system. In most states, medical providers are required to retain patient medical records for seven years or more after their creation (and even longer in cases where pediatric images are involved), which means that imaging studies need to be preserved beyond the average lifetime of the PACS that archives them.

There are essentially two choices when dealing with legacy PACS data: You can leave the data on the legacy system and maintain it for access by the new system, or you can migrate the data to the new system.