CHICAGO, Nov. 28 — Carestream Health showed two new capabilities for its CARESTREAM PACS at the annual RSNA meeting: a zero-footprint, web-based portal that will enable viewing of imaging data and patient information by remote users (as a work in progress), and an optional new PACS module that delivers embedded critical results notification to enable facilities with older RIS systems to meet JCAHO requirements. The critical results module will be available worldwide with new PACS orders beginning in December 2010.
The zero-footprint portal facilitates easy access to images and information for referring physicians. The portal makes data available to Windows- and Macintosh-based computers and mobile devices. No software for data or image viewing needs to be downloaded, and there are no storage or technology requirements for user PCs or workstations. This portal can be connected to a HIS or EMR, so users can quickly and easily view images in addition to other patient information.
When available, the new portal can be integrated with the company’s vendor-neutral Clinical Data Archive to allow remote users to easily view patient images and information. It can also be linked to Carestream Health’s SuperPACS™ Architecture to enable zero-footprint access by authorized clinicians and referring physicians on a local, regional or national level. Carestream Health boasts some of the largest RIS and PACS installations in the world, including some of the world’s largest HMOs, independent healthcare networks, and regional and national healthcare systems.
Critical Results Module Driven by U.S. Customer Feedback
The new critical results module was designed based on feedback from U.S. healthcare providers who need to comply with a new requirement for tracking the reporting and receipt of critical clinical findings.
“Many healthcare providers do not have critical results capabilities on their existing systems. Purchasing a PACS with this functionality eliminates the expense of third-party software and the need for integration,” said Hadas Padan, Carestream Health’s Director of Product Management, Healthcare Information Solutions.
Carestream Health and other suppliers have embedded critical results reporting into their latest RIS platforms but packaging this feature with PACS is a more novel approach, she added.
Flexible Architecture Helps Facilitate Meaningful Use
Carestream Health also demonstrated in its booth at RSNA how the flexible architecture of its RIS and PACS platforms provides easy integration and data exchange with other clinical systems, which allows U.S. providers to satisfy meaningful use initiatives and facilitates development of EHR systems. RIS and PACS are part of the second stage of meaningful use initiatives, so implementing flexible systems now positions U.S. providers to easily meet the implementation deadline.
Product Portfolio Simplifies Data Sharing
Carestream Health’s PACS architecture enhances data sharing by providing efficient consolidation of data into a single global workflow, regardless of the information’s source or location. And since the data is consolidated—not replicated—storage and bandwidth requirements are significantly reduced.
The company’s Clinical Data Archive (CDA) preserves data in a vendor-neutral format so data is not lost during migration to or from other storage archives. Using a Clinical Data Archive to deliver centralized, enterprise-wide storage for all clinical systems can reduce data migration, storage and disaster recovery expenses.
The company’s SuperPACS Architecture synchronizes disparate PACS systems across multiple sites to provide a single global worklist no matter where the user or data are located. This architecture enables healthcare providers to deliver enterprise-wide reading and reporting capabilities, while preserving their investment in existing PACS platforms. SuperPACS can be deployed on a local, regional or national level.
Specialized Tools Can Increase Radiologist Productivity
The CARESTREAM PACS platform offers efficiency-enhancing features for radiologists such as: embedded 3D tools and advanced 3D capabilities including automatic abdominal and cardiac vessel segmentation; an innovative PowerViewer that can enhance both the diagnostic quality and speed of interpretations of volumetric studies through real-time volumetric registration with multi-monitor and multi-data set comparisons; a global patient worklist; and a new user interface that provides thumbnail images for patient information and imaging studies to enable rapid selection of desired information to help reduce or eliminate manual searches for relevant data.
For more information on digital medical imaging and healthcare IT solutions from Carestream Health that can lower costs and help improve patient care please visit www.carestreamhealth.com.
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About Carestream Health
Carestream Health is a worldwide provider of dental and medical imaging systems and healthcare IT solutions; molecular imaging systems for the life science research and drug discovery/development market segments; and x-ray film and digital x-ray products for the non-
destructive testing market. For more information about the company’s broad portfolio of products, solutions and services, please contact your Carestream Health representative or visit www.carestreamhealth.com.
CARESTREAM is a trademark of Carestream Health.
2010