Privacy and data security concerns will figure prominently in PACS vendors' latest batch of systems and enhancements on display at next week's RSNA meeting. Many vendors will be discussing their methods for helping customers comply with the security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which will likely be finalized this year.
Other PACS trends include the ongoing shift toward the application service provider (ASP) model, with nearly every PACS firm introducing or planning an ASP-powered digital image management offering. Systems integration also continues to advance, thanks in large part to the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise initiative between the RSNA and HIMSS, now entering year two.
Vendors also continue to enhance the capabilities of workstation software, integrating technologies such as 3-D, speech recognition, and even RIS capabilities into the systems. Another interesting development is the growth of online storage offerings, with several firms unveiling large-scale, online RAID storage at the conference.
Agfa through AmicasArtesian through DR Systems
Dynamic through Inphact
InsiteOne through Rogan
Sectra through Toshiba
Agfa
Agfa will be highlighting its ability to provide integrated, enterprise-wide, and scalable PACS networks, according to the vendor. In support of this integration theme, Agfa will feature embedded RIS and voice recognition capability, as well as Web-based access to images, reports, and RIS scheduling for both clinical and administrative staff.
In other technology introductions, Agfa will add to its display offerings with an orthopedic planning station and an integrated cardiology workstation. The Ridgefield Park, NJ-based vendor will join the ASP race with the introduction of its ASP-powered digital image management product. Agfa will also unveil version 2 of its PACSWatch remote system monitoring and service offering.
Algotec
Israeli PACS firm Algotec will unveil version 4 of its MediSurf Java-based image display engine. The new release allows radiologists to simultaneously view and compare any series or study from any imaging modality, according to the firm. By allowing for side-by-side comparison of related images, MediSurf allows physicians to use a Web browser as a diagnostic reading station, according to Algotec. MediSurf version 4 also allows for 3-D images to be viewed from multiple angles and orientations over the Web.
Algotec will also introduce version 3 of its MediStore archive product. The new release includes extended support for Algotec's ASP model, as well as support for newer storage media technologies such as DVD and StorageTek's 9840 tape.
The company will also release Med-e-Mail, software that automatically combines radiology reports with thumbnails of key images and e-mails them to referring physicians. Another new product, CD-Surf, allows referring physicians who are not yet online to store these illustrated reports and the entire study on self-playing CD-ROMs, according to Algotec.
ALI Technologies
ALI will put the spotlight on Instant Archive, a PACS architecture designed to offer what the firm describes as nearly unlimited online storage with two-second response time. Taking advantage of network-attached storage devices (similar to RAID arrays), Instant Archive offers a storage option that is more economical and performs better than removable media-based storage techniques, according to the Richmond, BC-based firm.
ALI will also demonstrate version 4.4 of its UltraPACS software. Available in December, UltraPACS 4.4 includes a number of enhancements to ALI's GX cross-sectional radiography images, such as 3-D capability. 3-D and video streaming have been incorporated into ALI's ultrasound viewer, according to the firm.
In addition, ALI's GXL workstation is now capable of viewing cross-sectional radiography, as well as color images, in landscape mode, adding to the clinical utility of the software, according to ALI. ALI will also debut UltraPACS AnyWare, an Internet-enabled workstation for remote viewing applications.
ALI will also unveil a new release of its data exchange server, which allows for a two-way connection between RIS and PACS networks. The firm will also show the integration of UltraPACS with Schedule Quest, a third-party scheduling system. Integration with cardiology information systems (from Camtronics Medical Systems), speech recognition (from Lernout & Hauspie), and advanced 3-D imaging (from Vital Images) will also be on display.
Amicas
Web-based PACS provider Amicas is debuting amicas.net, an enhanced set of Web-based image management services. The Newton, MA-based firm points to the incorporation of a long-term archive as a key addition to amicas.net. The archive, which manages both lossless and wavelet-compressed images in an integrated fashion, retains all prior studies in online storage, according to the firm. This capability allows for instant access to full-resolution image data, as well as integration with reports and other medical history, according to Amicas.
The archive takes advantage of network-attached storage (NAS) technology, which Amicas believes reduces or eliminates the need for robotic tape libraries and associated hierarchical storage management (HSM) software, which is often both expensive and proprietary. Amicas also claims that the NAS technology offers a true pay-per-use business model without the lock-in, control, and security issues associated with ASP providers. Additional NAS appliances can be added as needed.
Because redundant NAS appliances provide internal RAID arrays and can be separated to eliminate single points of failure, Amicas believes the archive offers true redundancy and disaster-recovery capabilities. In addition, the permanent archive also generates a separate copy on high-capacity media for disaster protection.
The archive will support most of HIPAA's security, privacy, and portability requirements, according to the firm. In addition to its viewer, server, and other components, amicas.net includes a central tracking and help-desk facility with both Web and 24 x 7 call center features, priced on a per-study basis, according to the vendor.
Go to page:
Agfa through Amicas
Artesian through DR Systems
Dynamic through Inphact
InsiteOne through Rogan
Sectra through Toshiba
