Most of the issues that slow a diagnostic image viewer down are predictable, and most are preventable. Across the imaging teams we work with, the same handful of themes come up again and again, and almost none of them are really about the viewer itself. They are about the environment around it: certificates, configuration, versions, and the connections between systems.
Here are the five that generate the most questions, and the practical habits that keep each one from turning into downtime.
1. Certificates and secure access
Expired security certificates are one of the leading reasons users suddenly cannot log in or open studies, and they tend to expire at the worst possible hour. The good news is that this is entirely predictable, which means it is entirely preventable.
Keep an inventory of your certificates and their expiry dates, renew about 30 days ahead rather than waiting for the deadline, and re-test login and image retrieval right after any renewal. A simple habit that works well: set calendar reminders at 60, 30, and 7 days before every certificate expires, and loop your vendor in early so a replacement certificate can be prepared in the right format ahead of time.
2. Smooth study and image viewing
When viewing feels slow, or a study does not hang the way a reader expects, the cause usually traces back to hanging protocols, display configuration, a missing DICOM object, or an unusually large study, rather than the viewer itself.
Validate hanging protocols for each modality you use, re-check configuration whenever layouts or DICOM sources change, and confirm behavior on a few representative large studies. Keeping a small set of known-good test studies makes it quick to validate after any change. One frequent and easily fixed cause of slowness: when a new modality comes online, compression settings sometimes get missed, which sends uncompressed data across the network for no clinical reason. A quick configuration check catches it.
3. Getting more from the tools you already have
A large share of the questions imaging teams raise are really “how do I” questions. In many cases, the capability is already in the viewer. It just needs to be set up. Measurement calibration, saved preferences, shortcuts, and hanging protocols are all quick wins that make a real difference day to day.
Learn the quick wins, save and share a standard preference profile so new users start from a strong baseline, and run a short refresher whenever you onboard new staff. If you find yourself wishing your viewer did something, ask your vendor. There is a good chance it already does.
4. Staying current
Upgrades deliver fixes, performance gains, and security improvements. Running an older version can mean living with an issue that a newer release already solved.
Review the release notes so you know what each version changes, always test in a non-production environment first, and schedule upgrade windows on your terms rather than waiting for a problem to force one. The safest path is a regular, planned cadence: test environment, mock upgrade, a thorough safe-testing plan, then a well-communicated production upgrade. If you are unsure what has changed since your current version, ask your vendor to walk you through it before you plan the move.
5. Integrations: Epic, PACS, and SSO
Many issues that look like a viewer problem are actually an upstream change to an endpoint, a URL, or a certificate somewhere else in the environment. Re-validate launches after any endpoint, URL, or certificate change, keep a test integration path you can check safely, and coordinate changes with your integration partners in advance.
The single most useful habit here: change one thing at a time, then validate. It makes any issue far easier to trace. An integration validation checklist tailored to your environment gives everyone a shared map of what is connected.
A few habits that prevent most of it
- Track certificate expiry dates and renew early.
- Keep a set of known-good test studies for quick validation.
- Save and share preference and hanging-protocol profiles.
- Stay on a current, supported version, and review release notes.
- Re-validate integrations after any endpoint change.
None of these are complicated. They just reward a little planning over waiting for something to break.
This guidance comes from the Mach7 Customer Success team. We run monthly Office Hours for our customers to share practical tips like these and answer live questions. If you would like to talk through any of the habits above, reach out to your account team or contact us at events@mach7t.com.
eUnity is a diagnostic viewer intended to display medical images and associated clinical reports to aid in diagnosis by trained healthcare professionals. Professional and prescription use only. In the United States only, eUnity supports digital pathology whole-slide imaging (WSI) for reference and referral use and is not intended for primary diagnosis. Mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis are not intended for diagnostic interpretation on mobile devices.