SCAR 2003: What’s new in computer applications in radiology

Misys Healthcare Systems (Tucson, AZ) showcased its integrated radiology information system/picture archiving and communication system (RIS-PACS) product line at SCAR 2003.

The scalable Misys Integrated Image Management Information System (Misys IIMIS) is a fully integrated RIS-PACS systems suite designed for single- and multi-facility hospitals and imaging centers. The newest feature, Misys Image Management-Powered by eRAD-ImageMedical, works over any transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) network using a high-speed LAN, WAN, or low-bandwidth modems, over the Internet, or over a virtual private network (VPN) to provide images, reports, and other associated data to any Web-enabled Windows-based PC across the enterprise.

The system’s fault-tolerance capabilities allow for continued operations during transient network interruptions, with automatic self-correction when connectivity is restored. As demands increase, additional servers can be added to the modular system without downtime or hardware replacement.

Reliance and regulatory compliance are achieved through distributed redundancy and HIPAA-compliant security functions. The Image Archive module manages long-term and short-term image storage on one or many servers and multiple tiers of storage. Single- and multi-facility TelePACS hardware and software provide near-term image study storage and image and information sharing, while archive storage options include CD/DVD mini-storage, hierarchal tape library configurations, and scalable network attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN).

The Misys PACS Integration Module (PIM) provides DICOM services and eliminates the need for a broker between Misys Radiology and any PACS vendor using IHE guidelines. The PIM handles scheduling, patient information reconciliation, and imaging workflow. The system can also determine relevant prior procedures based on procedure level data in the RIS and automatically route studies for diagnostic interpretation and comparison. Pre-fetching capabilities move image files from long-term archive to fast-access storage as needed, and the auto-reconcile feature verifies that the patient and examination information from the imaging modality matches the Misys Radiology information for the same procedure. The automatic notification of exam status/results alerts physicians of examination status or results on request.

The fully integrated TalkStation Radiology feature, codeveloped by Talk Technology, Inc. (Bensalem, PA), provides voice recognition capability for dictation and workflow. With this feature, the user can dictate, edit, code, and sign reports with a user-defined dictation queue that allows each radiologist to have customized dictation patterns.

The WebView feature provides Web-based access to patient result data over a corporate intranet while incorporating the necessary safety features. In addition to validating the identity of users prior to permitting access, this feature also notifies an administrator of any unsuccessful or unauthorized attempts to gain access. Once a user’s identity is verified, a variety of functions can be performed from any Web-enabled PC, including viewing pending and related reports, signing or rejecting reports, editing text within a document, attaching classification tags to documents, and requesting laboratory information system data.

The Misys Radiology information system feature ties together all of these features and integrates the information, images, and voice data into a single information source.

Procom Technology (Irvine, CA) demonstrated its new NetFORCE 4000 network NAS solution. The NetFORCE 4000 is designed for the high-bandwidth network environments of digital archiving providers.

Developed specifically for data-intensive applications, the NetFORCE 4100 and 4200 NAS filers employ the same software that is used across the entire NetFORCE line and provide a 2-Gb/sec Fibre Channel storage infrastructure.

Two models are currently available: The single-head designed NF4100 is scalable to 16.35 TB and can grow modularly. The NF4200’s dual-head design offers a high-availability, fully redundant NAS filer design, with scalability to 32 TB. Other standard features include checkpoint support for immediate file recovery, dynamic volume expansion, network data management protocol (NDMP)-compliant backup, and simple network management protocol (SNMP) monitoring.

Optional features include Duet and ProMirror. The Duet feature supports both file-level data access, in which a number of hosts access shared data, and block-level access, in which a set of data is accessed by a single host or application server. This Microsoft Exchange 2000-compatible feature employs a transfer rate of up to 200 Mb/sec. It also provides failover and recovery notification and centralized management and monitoring capabilities.

The ProMirror Disaster Recovery Solution ensures that a mirror image of all NetFORCE files can be maintained at a separate location. ProMirror’s near real-time Safe Asynchronous Mirroring (SAM) architecture ensures that data from the source filer is continuously reflected onto the target filer. It can be effected over both LANs and WANs, enabling mirroring within a single location or across the country. The disaster recovery feature provides near real-time backup, allowing data access in the event of unplanned outages or serious site problems.

Image Systems Corporation (Minnetonka, MN) introduced its new 5MP 10-bit grayscale controller card at SCAR 2003.

The Image-5MP is a dual-head 5-megapixel grayscale video graphics card that can be used in conjunction with the company’s 21.3-inch grayscale 5MP AMLCD flat panel display. Additional features of the all-digital card include calibration and DICOM-compatible gamma correction, portrait acceleration via hardware, grayscale palette support to permit compatibility with a variety of viewer software applications, portrait or landscape orientation, and on-board test patterns for checking workstation quality.

The company also introduced a new 18-inch grayscale AMLCD monitor with a brightness of 700 nits. This monitor pivots to provide landscape or portrait viewing.

eMed Technologies (Burlington, MA) showcased their new RIS-PACS solution, developed in joint partnership with Creative Computer Applications, Inc. (CCA, Calabasas, CA). The eMed Entera is a combination of the eMed Ideal Image Management Suite and the CCA CyberRAD RIS.

This new end-to-end solution combines scheduling, procedure management, results reporting, and film tracking with image acquisition, diagnostic reading, image distribution, and archiving in one system. The system is driven from a single database that fuses information and imaging workflow into a single, integrated solution.

Also at SCAR 2003, Amicas, Inc. (Boston, MA) announced the clinical release of the Vision Series Web-based PACS that was previewed at RSNA 2002. The first clinical installation has been completed at Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, Illinois.

The Vision Series features the LightBeam Web-based Diagnostic Workstation and RealTime Worklist. LightBeam provides a centralized, on-demand, Web-based architecture for reviewing studies and one-click access to Amicas Forever Priors without the need for pre-fetching, and integration of DICOM standard JPEG2000 lossless and lossy images.

The RealTime Worklist feature is a customizable workflow system that allows users to create worklists specific to their clinical role. This feature can be used with or without a RIS and enables users to continue using worklists even if an existing RIS is down.

“Today, increasing numbers of hospitals and imaging centers are making PACS a priority because the benefits have moved from promises to reality,” said Amicas president and CEO, Hamid Tabatabaie. “Compared to film-based imaging, PACS offers far greater efficiency and ease of use, in addition to eliminating film-related costs, reducing medical errors and securing access to diagnostic images required for HIPAA.”