DICOM System Helps Radiology Groups Transform the Practice of Radiology

A new Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) system was able to demonstrate improved earlier exam prefetch by customizing queries to remote picture archiving communication systems (PACS), thereby reducing the need for staff intervention, and improving network utilization.

The Foundation Radiology Group (Pittsburgh, PA, USA), a radiology practice that brings a team of imaging experts to community hospitals across Pennsylvania and the surrounding states, was seeking a technology solution to enhance the retrieval, transport, and standardization DICOM data from their hospital partners. After an extensive request for proposal (RFP) process, the radiology group found a teleradiology interoperability company, Dicom Systems’ (DCMSYS; Campbell, CA, USA) DICOM and HL7 router to be a suitable choice. Dicom Systems’ router also displayed strength in the transformation of DICOM elements and has greatly reduced efforts required to ensure data are correctly stored with in Foundation’s core systems without intervention. Dicom Systems scripting tools allow Foundation to easily accommodate integration with any PACS and RIS vendor.

Kevin Mahood, PACS administrator at Foundation explained, “Foundation Radiology Group performs final subspecialized interpretations on over 3,000 exams a day. Before interpretation, all exams have to be properly adopted into our core systems along with any relevant prior exams. This process can be time-consuming for both hospital and Foundation staff. With the introduction of Dicom Systems advanced transformation and automated prior capabilities, Foundation has been able to automate this process. Nonconformant DICOM data can be automatically corrected with Dicom Systems technology. Furthermore, advanced prior configuration allows the core system to query the site PACS for relevant priors without staff intervention. The Dicom Systems solution is now our standard platform for DICOM integration, and will be utilized for both DICOM and HL[Health Level]7 integrations moving forward.”

Dicom Systems offers a 100% secure web-based DICOM and HL7 routing and interface engine appliance for hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic imaging centers. Its proprietary technology dramatically simplifies the client’s information technology (IT) structure by applying industry standard protocols, such as SNMP, SSL/TLS, DICOM, and HL7, thereby enabling users incredibly fast and effective access to information regardless of their physical location within the enterprise. Trusted by top healthcare facilities, and providing the most effective integrated workflow in digital imaging, Campbell-based Dicom Systems ensures that physicians, practitioners, and diagnosticians have the most reliable and immediate access to patient data from across their healthcare enterprises.


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Foundation Radiology Group
Dicom Systems