The Evolution of Integrated PACS with HIS

The amalgamation of technology and engineering in the process of acquiring, storing, retrieving, displaying and distributing images has resulted in, a one-stop solution for healthcare informatics and the deliverance of optimum results to clients. Enterprise-wide image management solutions are now available, where digital images from various fields such as radiology, cardiology and the like are harmoniously blended with information from clinical information systems and other databases. This can then be easily accessed from a single point of end user interaction. Popular open source PACS solutions have merged with HIS thus providing hospitals with an integrated PACS environment. This, in turn, has the capacity to integrate with leading vendor equipment and provide access to doctors on their personal workstations.

By integrating PACS with HIS (Hospital Information System)/RIS (Radiology Information System), a single point of access for images becomes possible. One can have remote access to resources. By replacing hard copies of medical results onto digital formats, possibilities for error are practically nullified because images/data that are saved can be tagged with patient identifiers. These solutions not only help administer a hospital's daily business transactions but also support clinical and medical patient care activities in a hospital. They provide automation for patient registration, admission, accounting, and access to clinical results such as microbiology, radiology, lab pathology, and pharmacy. Patient demographics can also be broadcast in real time. Last but not the least, hospital costs and performances can be assessed and projection of long term forecasts becomes feasible using Integrated PACS with HIS.

Originally, healthcare information systems communicated using a standard protocol Health Level-7 (HL7), that ferried patient data between billing and information systems. The predominant features were the following:

• Tab based interface

• Integration with existing HIS/RIS

• Customizable report search engine

• Printing DICOM image on plain paper

• Image archival on server and registration

• Vendor neutral archive with integration with multiple modalities.

With advances in technology, acquisition modalities are able to receive patient and study related data from HIS or RIS.

The earliest issue hindering the progress of HIS/PACS integration was language. To solve this issue, translation was required between HL7 and DICOM. A hardware device called a Broker proved to be the solution. Broker accepts HL7 messages from RIS and then translates or maps the data to produce DICOM messages for transmission to PACS. Patient and exam inflow from the RIS to the modality is essential for technologist workflow. Broker enables this, by taking advantage of the DICOM modality worklist.

Some of the salient features of the Broker are:

• It is possible to view images at low bandwidth

• Web based worklist

• Images are accessible anywhere and at any time

• Paperless EMR records

• High quality imaging

• A medical practitioner can view DICOM images through HIS

• Patient data is kept secure

• Qualitative improvement in patient care

• Cost effective and highly scalable

• Operations are simplified due to integration with EMR Brokerv

• Currently, the best solution for full integration

Integrated PACS with HIS is the gateway to the future. At PostDICOM, our endeavor is to assist you, in becoming part of the new wave sweeping the field of healthcare. Contact us for more information regarding our Integrated PACS with HIS solutions!