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New Products & Services |
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PACS / DICOM /RIS |
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Upgraded Radiology Capabilities
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. |
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Scalable, Integrated PACS
Mercury Computer Systems, Chelmsford, Mass. |
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Scalable, Integrated PACS
Mercury Computer Systems, Chelmsford, Mass. |
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Improved PACS
NovaRad Corp., American Fork, Utah. |
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Integrated 3D Solution FUJIFILM Medical Systems has added Obliquus, a fully integrated 3D viewing component that adds diagnostic maximum intensity projection (MIP) and multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) to the company’s Synapse PACS. The 3D solution supports Fuji’s drive to provide a single-source radiological system that includes RIS, mammography, 3D, and reporting and decision support, and is intended to negate the need for Synapse users to install a third-party 3D viewer. Obliquus is available outside the U.S. to Synapse 3.1.1 or higher users, and upon FDA 510 (k) review, is expected to be available to U.S. customers as well. FUJIFILM Medical Systems, Stamford, Conn. |
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Open Standards RIS NovaRIS is a Web-based, open-standards RIS from NovaRAD designed to track reimbursement costs, payers and the profitability of procedures. The product generates reports, analyzes exams and can operate in environments using paperless patient records. It has voice recognition and transcription capability and can track radiology tech productivity. Worklists are included for administrative assistants, technologists, radiologists, transcriptionists and billing specialists. The RIS is compatible with the company’s PACS product, NovaPACS, as well as many third-party PACs. Other features include scheduling, auto e-mail/fax, HIPAA compliance logging, electronic signature and audit trail. NovaRAD Corp., American Fork, Utah. |
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Persona-based PACS
Agfa-Gevaert Group, Belgium. |
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Computed Radiography System
Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. |
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3D Imaging Webserver
Medweb Corp. San Francisco, Calif. |
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End-To-End Imaging Workflow Syngo Suite from Siemens Medical Solutions adds a comprehensive RIS/PACS solution, with built-in acquisition and post-processing tools for radiology and cardiology to the company’s robust Soarian HIS. The soup-to-nuts product is role-based, clinically focused and enables a completely integrated workflow from a single user interface. It supports all DICOM standards and is HIPAA compliant. Syngo Imaging is Siemen’s PACS solution. It’s designed to support large medical environments to smaller imaging centers, and features advanced post-processing, a patented navigational tool, and dynamic loading to speed image reading. Syngo Workflow covers everything from order entry to image report and distribution, and Syngo Dynamics is a scalable, multimodality dynamic image review, diagnosis and archive system. Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, Pa. |
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Enhanced Radiology Information System
Misys Healthcare Systems, Raleigh, N.C. |
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Bioterrorism Preparedness VisualDX, from Logical Images, was designed to help hospitals and clinics quickly and accurately diagnose eruptions, lesions, STDs, and other infectious diseases that can be visually identified. It also contains detailed information on Anthrax, Smallpox and other potentially lethal diseases that may be released into the population by bioterrorists. Physicians input specific details of the patient exam. VisualDX then supplies high-resolution photos and textual information on possible conditions, which it pulls from a database of more than 10,000 images and 600 diseases, reducing diagnostic time and ensuring a prompt treatment. Because of the dual-nature of the product, major hospitals and clinics as well as the U.S. military use the product on a daily basis. Logical Images, Rochester, N.Y. |
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Hybrid Imaging Systems
Philips Electronics, Andover, Mass. |
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Integrated Radiology Suite
Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, Pa. |
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Breast Imaging Workstation
FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA Inc.,
Stamford, Conn. |
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Radiology Reference Text for PDAs
HealthHelp, Houston |
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RIS/PACS Suite Enhancements
Eastman Kodak Co., Health Imaging Group,
Rochester, N.Y. |
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RIS Remote Monitoring  The
Guardian Program is a customer care program that proactively ensures the
continuous uptime of medical systems such as certain cardiac and
angiography systems and all AXIOM Artis systems. It offers remote
monitoring, a guaranteed time frame for system maintenance, guaranteed
key components availability, access to technical experts and a guarantee
of 99 percent system uptime. The real-time preventive program enables a
customer service engineer to consult with a customer within minutes of
remotely noticing a possible malfunction, including during
interventional procedures. It constantly runs diagnostics to check the
parameters of the systems, allowing engineers to proactively prevent and
repair malfunctions before they cause downtime. External monitoring of
the hospital’s technologies is possible only with specific service codes
provided by the hospital, so the hospital remains HIPAA-compliant.Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, Pa. www.rsleads.com/410ht-182 |
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Digital Mammography Archive  The
National Digital Mammography Archive (NDMA) allows participating
hospitals and physicians to access the largest national database of
digital mammography images, associated clinical and demographic data,
and centralized CAD algorithms. Participants can store, distribute,
analyze and access any DICOM breast image and its related clinical and
demographic data within seconds, without the need for capital
investment. The archive operates on a sophisticated grid of regional and
area clusters linked to share data transparency with others. Specially
designed servers, installed at participating hospitals, mammography
centers and physician offices, connect each participant’s network to the
archive and cache images until proper authorization for interenterprise
distribution is validated. As physicians perform digital mammograms, the
servers capture the images and reports, encrypt the data and transmit it
to the NDMA.
i3ARCHIVE Inc., Berwyn, Pa. |
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PACS Film Digitizer Station  The
IOC PACS Appliance offers diagnostic imaging providers an efficient way
to scan film and send images to their PACS system from multiple remote
locations in a hospital. It consists of a DiagnosticPRO Advantage
scanner from VIDAR Systems, CPU, flat panel LCD monitor, keyboard,
mouse, modem and the IOC FrameStore software that controls the scanner
and transfers images to the PACS system. The user enters the patient’s
data, inserts the film and presses a button. The film is scanned,
optimized and made ready for transfer to the PACS system. No user
adjustment for brightness or contrast is needed. Data entry is fully
configurable to meet the requirements of any DICOM archive or PACS
system, and information such as imaging site, image source, and date and
time are automatically transmitted with each image.
Images-on-Call, Dallas |
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Diagnostic-Quality Workstation Merge eFilm, Milwaukee |
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High-Resolution PET/CT System
CPS
Innovations, Knoxville, Tenn. |
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Enhanced Desktop RIS/PACS
GE Medical Systems Information
Technologies, Waukesha, Wis. |
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Return to New Products & Services Index page © 2006 Nelson Publishing, Inc |
CARESTREAM
Radiology Solutions from Eastman Kodak now include an upgraded
picture archiving and communications systems (CARESTREAM PACS) that
features support for workflow grid computing, allowing information
storage and retrieval from multiple sites in a facility or region.
According to the company, workflow grid computing increases availability
and redundancy of a multi-site system, more efficient distributed
storage system management, rapid archived data delivery and synchronized
global worklist and reporting to all sites. The PACS software upgrades
include dynamic streaming capabilities for viewing 3D, cardiac CT and
other large files without the need for large bandwidth connections.
Options include digital dictation, speech recognition and reporting
functions for non-integrated radiology information systems. The
CARESTREAM RIS now features a complete outpatient practice management
system for all aspects of patient workflow in imaging centers while
allowing integration with pre-existing patient scheduling and practice
management systems. 
Visage
PACS from Mercury Computer Systems is a scalable, fully integrated
image management system for large or small-scale healthcare
organizations. Up to 500 internal or external users can access the image
database simultaneously through Web clients, thin 3D clients or
workstations. In addition to centralized maintenance and remote
Web-based administration, Visage PACS features cluster and failover
technology, integrated clinical application and specialty modules that
enable it to integrate cardialogy, PET-CT, surgery and orthopedics
applications. Its key modules include: Visage PACS Online, which
features up to several terabytes of online storage; Visage PACS Archives
with a scalable cluster server for long-term, HIPAA-compliant storage on
RAID disks; Visage PACS Web for instantaneous access to images, reports
and patient information throughout the hospital; Visage CS Thin
Client/Server for immediate 3D/4D viewing and post-processing of
multi-slice and multi-modality studies; and, Visage PACS Transfer with
lossless data compression that reduces bandwidth requirements when
receiving/transmitting diagnostic data to remote Visage PACS servers.
NovaRad
has incorporated improved functionality into NovaPACS 6.5, based
on customer feedback and requests from radiologists and referring
physicians. New sorting, reporting, and information gathering and
viewing features are part of the upgraded administration console tool.
In addition, referring physicians now have a specialized viewer that
contains the same set of tools originally only available on the PACS
workstations. With 6.5, NovaRad can monitor in real time NovaPACS
installations and provide improved support services. NovaPACS 6.5 also
can share its database with NovaRIS 6.5, the company’s HL7 and HIPAA-compliant
radiology information system, providing seamless integration of the two
critical systems. 
IMPAX
6.0 is a Web-deployable PACS from Agfa that allows multiple users to
store, retrieve and manage the flow of images and information on a
single server. Its consolidated approach integrates RIS and Reporting
with PACS to create an individual workflow-based system that can service
local or remote users. It provides a single, digital view of modalities
integrated with patient data, which it protects with HTTPS security
protocols during remote access. The system’s three-tier approach
includes data (IMPAX core), business logic (application server) and
presentation (IMPAX client) layers, and is intended to allow users to
access multiple data sources with a single query. Its smart client
design means thin-client hand-held and mobile devices can operate as
efficiently as thick-client devices. 
The
2000RT CR radiation oncology system from Kodak has a new software
upgrade. Version 6.0 supports DICOM RT and DICOM CR image transfer, and
is designed to ensure accurate exchange of data with other DICOM-compatible
imaging modalities and oncology image management systems. The 2000RT can
also now import DRR images to the CR workstation and display them next
to port films for direct comparisons, without needing an image
management system. Users also can remote annotate images from
workstations, edit and then save them to the database, and create work
lists to allow searches of sites where no image management system
exists. The upgrade also creates security logs of all changes and can
output patient images and a DICOM viewer to CD and DVD media.
Medweb’s
Advanced 3D Web PACS is designed to provide, on a standard PC, many of
the imaging features and functions required by surgeons, oncologists and
other medical doctors, such as 3D templating and autosegmenting of image
data from spiral scanners, traditionally found only on dedicated 3D
workstations. Studies from 16- and 32-slice scanners are distributed in
manageable 3D volumes that allow sculpting, zooming and 360-degree
rotation of images, as well as, MIP (maximum intensity projection) and
MPR (multiplanar reformatting). Users isolate bones, blood vessels and
other organs via autosegmentation template buttons or custom settings.
The software integrates with existing PACS, or can operate as a
stand-alone or modality PACS. It is compatible with all Medweb products,
including Personal PACS Webserver, Office/OR PACS and Enterprise PACS.
Misys
has released Radiology 4.3, an enhanced version of their radiology
information system solution designed to work equally well in different
RIS workflows, such as hospital and ambulatory environments. The upgrade
aims to increase the speed of report generation and turnaround time, and
improve exchange of data between multiple facilities and in/outpatient
sites. It also includes two-way messaging between transcriptionists and
radiologists, with rules that trigger instant notifications when
incorrectly delivered exam orders and schedules have duplicate or
sequencing errors. Misys intends these enterprisewide enhancements to
help radiologists and clinicians track the status of exams and easily
review critical data and images that may be days or years old.
Philips
Electronics has introduced 64-slice configurations of its hybrid PET/CT
and SPECT/CT nuclear imaging systems. Designed to produce comprehensive
images for oncology, cardiology and neurology, the Gemini GXL PET/CT and
Precedence SPECT/CT hybrid systems capture physiological and anatomical
information in one exam. The upgraded 64-slice systems acquire more
slices in less time then previous 16-slice models, resulting in improved
image registration and higher quality images, since less patient motion
is captured in each slice. 
SIENET
Cosmos is an integrated RIS/PACS suite for hospitals and imaging
centers, enabling users across the enterprise to access patient exams
and reports with a standard Internet browser from any location in the
network. In addition to centralized server architecture and quick data
access, it offers a continuous, efficient workflow, from exam planning
to image distribution, with fast and effective documentation for billing
medical services, so post-processing is no longer dedicated to separate
advanced post-processing workstations. To address large image data
volumes produced by new imaging technologies such as multislice CT, an
advanced transmission protocol enables the SIENET Cosmos workplace to
retrieve from and send images to the central server faster than via a
standard DICOM transfer.
The
Synapse Multi-modality Breast Imaging Workstation is designed for any
facility performing full field digital mammography and other modalities
such as breast MR or ultrasound. It incorporates dual, high-brightness
5-megapixel flat panel monitors for soft copy diagnosis with an optional
third, 20-inch color LCD monitor for productivity applications and
viewing of color images. Its advanced diagnostic tools include image
presets, window/level, pan, zoom, annotation and magnification, and it
automates the presentation of Synapse information such as documents,
image-processing parameters and results. When coupled with Fuji CR for
Mammography, the workstation can be used by the reading radiologist to
communicate, via notes or audio clips, with the technologist, who can
access and view prior images and results to assure the diagnostic
purpose of the current exam. 
The
electronic version of the Medical Imaging Consultant radiology reference
text is designed for use on physicians’ PDAs to help reduce incidents of
incorrect radiology ordering. Arranged primarily by body system for both
adult and pediatric cases, it discusses more than 350 common conditions
for which medical imaging procedures are ordered, and it details the
risks, benefits and costs involved in more than 245 imaging procedures.
It arranges the procedures in order of diagnostic benefit, starting with
the most helpful, expressed on a scale of one to five, and it provides
comments for individual studies that require additional explanation. The
reference text offers information about alternative procedures based on
the patient’s symptoms, and it also includes CPT codes and information
about Medicare reimbursement. 
Kodak’s
newest RIS/PACS suite supports native applications such as 3-D volume
rendering so radiologists can easily interact with studies and their
reconstructions on the same diagnostic workstation. It provides faster,
more convenient reading with the improved ability to customize and save
radiologists’ preferred display protocols, based on the current
workstation image layout and functionality, so each type of imaging
study is displayed according to their preferences. The suite also
improves communication with referring physicians by enabling them to
receive information in the way that is most efficient for their
workflow, such as e-mailing or embedding into an EMR a radiology report
that can include key marked images, with the option to view the entire
imaging study via secure Web-based access if desired. 
New
functionality provided by eFilm Workstation version 1.9 includes
advanced volume rendering, an enhanced multiplanar reconstruction tool,
enhanced orthopedic template capabilities, customizable toolbars based
on individual user preferences, and improved performance in “on-demand”
image streaming access to FUSION PACS, an integrated business and
clinical workflow system for enterprise distribution of images and
information. With the workstation, users can examine multiple studies
simultaneously, cross-reference, measure, rotate, pan, zoom and annotate
in a single application. Enhanced 
The high-speed, high-resolution LSO HI-REZ PET/CT scanner system utilizes enhanced spatial resolution to improve early detection of cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and lesions as small as 2 mm. By merging a patient’s biological information from a PET scan with the anatomic imaging provided by a CT scan into a combined image containing both metabolic function and anatomic structure, it enables doctors to more accurately identify the precise location of potential abnormalities. Ultrafast LSO scintillation and PICO electronics provide twice as much numerical electromagnetic code compared to standard PET/CT systems, and faster scanning means greater patient comfort and less motion for better lesion detection. 
The new version of Centricity RIS/PACS provides clinicians with reliable access to patients’ images, including PET/CT and digital mammography images, and their medical and demographic records—all within a single desktop application. It offers a single radiology workflow engine that addresses the traditional problems of data synchronization and workflow competition between the RIS and the PACS, and unifies patient information with a synchronized RIS/PACS database. Centricity RIS/PACS lets radiologists more efficiently navigate and analyze large sets of images, as well as use next-generation reporting capabilities to complete reports and deliver results to referring physicians with greater speed and flexibility, improving turnaround time. Technologists can improve their performance by utilizing embedded digital dictation and voice-reporting features with remote Web access. The system also permits database replication to help ensure high availability, data redundancy and disaster recovery.