There's a reason that “e-discovery” and “X-ray” belong on opposite ends of the alphabet. Medical scans have not traditionally been a friend to the electronic discovery process thanks to a hyper-specific digital format that requires expensive software and a very specific kind of know-how.

The MCS Group, an e-discovery and records retrieval provider, has taken on the unofficial role of middleman between the medical and legal professions. The company developed a method of digitizing medical scans like X-rays and placing them in an online repository called MCSDirect for secure viewing. For lawyers or others in the legal service industry, this means circumventing investments in technology or even costlier time delays.

“I think the biggest part of it is really efficiency, but it's also security and being able to keep all of these records under one roof,” Stephen Ehrlich, chief information officer at the MCS Group, said.

The MCS Group routinely works with insurance companies and their counsel on cases that involve the use of private medical information. Ehrlich gave the hypothetical example of a slip-and-fall case outside of a local supermarket.

“A lot of time those medical records we're requesting include films from whatever injuries they might have received,” Ehrlich said.

Typically those films were delivered to firms on a CD and viewed using 10-year-old machines. If the lawyer assigned to the case wanted an expert to take a look at MRI images, they would have to drop the disc into the mail and send it the old-fashioned way.

“It's kind of a clunky process that took a lot of time,” Ehrlich said.

X-rays or MRI's are digitized using their own unique format called DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), which is used in radiology, cardiology, even dentistry. It's the international industry standard—in the medical field, anyway.

Law firms or others working in legal services might not have regular access to the systems and software required to run DICOM files. Think of it like having an amazing collection of Blu-ray discs and a VCR to play them on at home. This is why MCS has incorporated access to X-ray or MRI images directly into MCSDirect for compatibility.

Given the sensitive health information MCSDirect will now handle, Ehrlich said the company has put in place security features to help ensure data privacy. The system, for instance, monitors every click a user makes. In the event of a threat, MCS would be able to quickly assemble a list of people who had accessed a given file, right down to the date and time.

“It's really becoming more important for our clients to make sure these records are not only secure but also accountable for whoever touches them,” Ehrlich said.

The bells and whistles attached to MCSDirect also include the ability to annotate, make measurements or add highlights to images within the digital file.