CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 4 — Carestream Health, Inc., showcased its latest generation of RIS/PACS at the Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) annual conference. The company also demonstrated its SuperPACS™ Architecture, which links existing multi-vendor, multi-site PACS platforms to create an efficient enterprise solution. The PACS and SuperPACS Architecture are available for order, and the RIS will be available for order in mid-July.
In addition to supporting centralized storage and viewing of non-DICOM and DICOM data, the latest CARESTREAM PACS contains an innovative archive takeover utility that enables facilities to quickly and easily access data from old archives as part of their standard workflow— without requiring migration of pixel data. The new PACS also includes an innovative PowerViewer viewing application that can enhance both the diagnostic quality and speed of exam interpretation.
Trade Trial Site Praises Archive Takeover Tool
The 721-bed St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., was a trade trial site for the new PACS software. PACS Administrator Rick Adams reports the archive takeover tool is an invaluable asset because it can eliminate data migration and enable facilities like his to keep their existing archives. The new CARESTREAM PACS can identify all the studies on a previous archive and import patient demographic information and exam metadata into its database. When a prior exam is needed for comparison, the PACS automatically retrieves it and inserts it directly into the hanging protocols.
“Carestream Health’s new PACS can eliminate the need for data migrations, which are time consuming and prohibitively expensive. We can continue to use our current storage archive, since the new PACS will retrieve studies from it as needed,” Adams said. “Carestream Health is one of the first vendors to provide this capability, and it is a tremendous advantage for any facility with an investment in storage systems.”
New PowerViewer Goes Beyond Integrated or Native Capabilities
The company also demonstrated its PowerViewer, which goes beyond the functionality offered by integrated or native 3D capabilities. It provides automatic registration and matching of volumetric data created at different times and by different modalities directly within the standard viewer used by radiologists. As a result, radiologists are able to dynamically view image data in different planes without switching to other applications or workstations. This advanced comparison includes different rendition types such as MPR, MinIP and others.
Automatic registration among differing studies also enables radiologists to manipulate one data set in any spatial plane and the other data sets will automatically follow. This equips radiologists with a faster and more accurate comparison of two different data sets in the same spatial plane—and eliminates time-consuming manual or semi-automatic processes currently used to set up studies for comparison. As a result, healthcare providers can achieve both a higher level of diagnostic accuracy and faster report turnaround times.
Physicians at West Penn Allegheny Health System, in Pittsburgh, Penn., tested the PowerViewer as part of a trade trial of the new CARESTREAM PACS platform. “The PowerViewer is a tremendous enhancement for radiologists. Since it’s a software capability that’s available on any workstation, we have more than doubled the amount of clinicians that have access to this advanced toolset. The platform’s automated tools speed the interpretation of exams and reporting is facilitated through the use of special features, including the ability to identify key images for the report,” said Marc Wallace, M.D., neuroradiologist; Drexel University College of Medicine, Allegheny Campus Director of Imaging Informatics; West Penn Allegheny Health System.
RIS Contains Powerful Radiologist Reporting Module
The latest CARESTREAM RIS features a powerful new radiologist reporting module that improves productivity through an intuitive user interface and a rich feature set. Time saving features include: structured reporting, standard answers and the ability to copy content from prior reports. Combining these rich features with voice driven commands allows the radiologist to create a report without using the keyboard or mouse. Since reading for different types of exams can require different information, this RIS can automatically adjust the screen content and layout based on the type of exam. This platform also facilitates communication with colleagues through built-in critical results notification, ACR peer review and emergency department discrepancy workflows.
The new RIS enables centralized enterprise-wide scheduling for multiple imaging locations and the ability for patients to reschedule appointments online.
CARESTREAM RIS is Microsoft® .NET-connected to offer a thin-client platform that simplifies system management, while also enabling full Windows functionality at each workstation. Updates can be automatically downloaded and installed across a single facility or a large multi-site enterprise, and the same features can be made available to any authorized user whether they are using the Internet or a network to access the system.
New Licensing Structure
The latest generation of CARESTREAM RIS/PACS includes a new licensing structure that makes it both easy and affordable for facilities to obtain unlimited user access including tools such as 3D reading and clinical applications. Tiered pricing is based on imaging volumes. This licensing plan streamlines system administration and allows for enterprise-wide use of the suite’s advanced features for users of all sizes. The company also now packages key features that were previously options, such as the PowerViewer and intelligent streaming, as part of its standard offering.
###
About Carestream Health, Inc.
Carestream Health, Inc., is a leading 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. Headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., and serving customers in more than 150 countries, Carestream Health is an independent company operating within the family of companies owned by Onex Corporation (TSX: OCX.TO) of Toronto, Canada. For more information about Carestream Health, contact your Carestream Health representative or visit www.carestreamhealth.com.
CARESTREAM is a trademark of Carestream Health, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
2009