Seeking to leverage its experience in data management, high-end computing, and systems integration, IBM entered the digital image management sector at the 2002 RSNA meeting in Chicago. But the White Plains, NY-based information technology giant won't be going it alone in the PACS market.
IBM's Life Sciences division announced partnerships with PACS and medical imaging vendors such as Algotec Systems, Brit Systems, Camtronics Medical Systems, Cerner, Emageon, Fischer Imaging, Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, Heartlab, Mirada Solutions, Philips Medical Systems, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Softlink International, Stentor, and TeraMedica.
The IBM division will marry technology from its partners with specially configured IBM workstations and storage offerings to meet requirements for digital image management, said Patrick Boyle, IBM's segment executive for medical imaging.
"The infrastructure components are what we really focus on," Boyle said.
This isn't the first time IBM has been involved in the PACS sector, having participated in the U.S. military's Defense Imaging Network-Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (DIN-PACS) project in the late 1990s. In that high-profile project, IBM led a consortium of vendors that included Applicare Medical Imaging (since purchased by GE Medical Systems), the RIS unit of ADAC Laboratories (since purchased by Cerner), Brit, DeJarnette Research Systems, and others.
In many respects, that systems integration approach is similar to the model now pursued by IBM in the commercial sector, Boyle said.
"With DIN-PACS, we worked with companies who provided the software, and we provided systems integration and project management to implement a full PACS," he said. "We are not going to be a PACS application provider."
IBM’s Medical Assessment Workstation
IBM has developed what it calls a Medical Assessment Workstation, which integrates the firm's IntelliStation workstation and its T221 nine-megapixel, 22.2-inch flat-panel display. The workstation includes high-end 3-D graphics capabilities, Intel's Xeon processors, and up to 4 GB of memory.
The company then marries PACS software from partners with IBM's workstation and display to support image viewing requirements, Boyle said. Pricing begins at less than $13,000 for the workstation.
The flat-panel display is also being used by IBM partner MediZeus, an Atlanta-based firm developing a mammography computer-aided detection (CAD) application. MediZeus showed the CAD software as a work-in-progress in IBM's booth.
Storage
In storage, IBM has created four storage offerings. Designed for sites with up to 25,000 studies per year, IBM offers a network-attached storage (NAS) package that includes its TotalStorage NAS 200, which is scalable up to 7 TB of online storage capacity, IBM said. Beginning in price at $150,000, this NAS approach also includes a TotalStorage linear tape-open (LTO) library that provides up to 500 TB of nearline storage and Tivoli storage manager and hierarchical storage management (HSM) software for image management.
IBM is also offering a storage-area network (SAN) service for customers with annual imaging volume of up to 25,000 studies per year. Also beginning in price at $150,000, this product would include a TotalStorage FASt700 mid-range disk that's scalable up to 9 TB of online storage, a TotalStorage LTO tape library, and a Tivoli storage manager and HSM software, IBM said.
Institutions performing up to 150,000 procedures per year could use a SAN configuration consisting of an IBM FASt700 mid-range disk providing up to 32.8 TB of online storage, a TotalStorage LTO tape library, a Tivoli storage manager, and HSM software, according to the vendor. This setup would begin in price at $300,000.
Facilities performing over 250,000 studies per year would be target customers for a SAN service that includes a TotalStorage Shark enterprise storage server accommodating 55.6 TB of online storage, an LTO tape library, a Tivoli storage manager, and HSM software, IBM said. Pricing would begin at $1 million, IBM said.
Just as with its workstation offering, IBM is partnering with other firms for the software component of the archive, Boyle said.
"We provide the underlying infrastructure with our partner's software solutions," he said.
In other offerings, IBM will also provide customers with services such as network and archive design, disaster recovery, and HIPAA implementation and consulting services, Boyle said.
In new customer news, IBM, along with partner Emageon of Birmingham, AL, said it would soon complete installation of an IBM infrastructure at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System. The infrastructure will be used in support of a multi-terabyte image archiving and distribution system, IBM said.
IBM Canada has installed a centralized storage system for the Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ontario. The SAN storage configuration supports many Credit Valley systems, including a PACS network, electronic medical records and hospital information systems, and office automation applications, according to the firm.
By Erik L. RidleyAuntMinnie.com staff writer
January 6, 2003
Related Reading
The PACSman’s opinionated view from RSNA 2002, December 4, 2002
IBM, Oxford, U.K. to build breast cancer computing grid, October 16, 2002
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