Medical image-sharing software developer LifeImage has released Clinical Connector, new healthcare software designed to promote the interoperability and transfer of medical data.
The software allows physicians and patients to access medical information from any electronic health record (EHR) or PACS to provide a connected view of the patient's care across multiple delivery sites. LifeImage is making the Clinical Connector available to all clearinghouse users of the RSNA Image Share pilot program, which is coming to a successful completion on March 31.
LifeImage was the operating partner for the RSNA Image Share pilot program, providing the original technical architecture upon which tens of thousands of patients, nearly 50 hospitals, and seven other technology companies facilitated image sharing, the firm said. The Clinical Connector clearinghouse and its associated network are open to any healthcare organization, provided it can also meet the industry's publicly utilized interoperability standards and appropriate security and confidentiality provisions, LifeImage said.
While Clinical Connector builds on LifeImage's experiences with Image Share, it is an entirely new clearinghouse platform, according to President and CEO Matthew Michela. It includes enhanced support for interoperability and is based on industry standards to enable any healthcare provider or software developer to connect to it.
LifeImage will begin offering Clinical Connector to its customers and then to any third party that wants to participate, even if it has developed its own data exchange software, Michela said.
"The world of healthcare is a big place and vendors can create their own solutions, but we are calling for them to be standards-based and knock off the proprietary standards that people have built to historically," he said.
