Managing digital radiologic images with CPSI's ImageLinkTM Medical Image Communication & Storage Device enables efficient filmless diagnostic review, a reduction in film costs, and the inclusion of images in the electronic medical record with enterprise wide availability.
ImageLink is a fully integrated solution that facilitates the communication, manipulation, annotation, and storage of high-resolution digital radiologic images from multiple source modalities. Designed to enhance the efficiency of diagnostic decision making, the system includes a full-featured viewer with custom worklists organized to the requirements of individual radiologists. ImageLink receives digital images with accompanying information from DICOM compliant modalities including Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, Radiography, and Computed Radiography. Once received, the images are organized based upon physician preferences for display and manipulation in the ImageLink Viewer. The resulting annotated softcopy images offer the health care enterprise a more complete electronic medical record (EMR) that provides clinicians with secure and immediate access to diagnostic images when and where they need them.
Tight Integration: Designed and developed from the ground up by CPSI, ImageLink fits seamlessly into the hospital's IT infrastructure sharing patient and order information with existing patient care and clinical applications. Real-time order communication allows the update of ImageLink worklists, identification of the appropriate imaging modality to be used, application of an electronic signature to "lock" images, and notification of completed exams. Our goal in developing ImageLink was not just to bring medical image communication and storage technology to the market, but to do so in a way that is meaningful to community hospitals. In short, full-featured, fully integrated, and affordable.
Enterprise Wide Availability: The enterprise wide availability of diagnostic images is what sets ImageLink apart from other systems. ImageLink is designed to allow access to clinicians throughout the hospital's facility and beyond with captured images available whenever and wherever needed. Multiple high-resolution diagnostic quality workstations may be utilized for diagnostic review and non-diagnostic workstations can be used to access radiological images from any location within the hospital's LAN. ImageLink is also designed to work with CPSI's web-enabled ChartLink to provide physicians with secure access to diagnostic images as a part of a complete electronic patient chart. Immediate access to complete patient information and diagnostic images eliminates the need to wait on paper records from Medical Records and film from Radiology expediting patient treatment without sacrificing quality of care. ChartLink also provides secure HIPAA compliant access to patient charts via the Internet and standard web browsers from any location - across town or across the world.
Worklists: Diagnostic images are organized by the ImageLink worklist manager into individual patient studies. The resulting patient studies are presented to radiologists in dynamic real-time worklists that are customized to the needs of each individual radiologist. A worklist "wizard" allows quick and easy configuration of up to five on-screen user-defined worklists per physician. The physician's custom worklists are individually named and tabbed to allow "point-and-click" selection with study information displayed as pre-defined by: Patient Name, Priority, Exam Type, Date/Time Order Scheduled, Ordering Physician, Modality, Date/Time Order Completed, Performing Physician, Patient Type, Status, and Patient ID.
Digital Imaging: Studies selected from the worklist are displayed in the ImageLink Viewer. The Viewer, comprised of a main viewing window, thumb nail index, and on-screen tool bars, is designed for use with high resolution monitors to facilitate accurate filmless review. The main viewing window functions as the traditional light box displaying the selected images according to pre-defined "hanging" protocols. The hanging protocols are set by study and physician so that images are displayed within the viewing window in location and order according to the preferences of each individual radiologist. The image index is a movable/dockable window that may be positioned within the viewer wherever desired.
Image Manipulation: The Viewer's on-screen tool bars are also movable/dockable to the physician's preference. The image manipulation tool bar features tools for zooming, magnifying, panning across an image, measuring, rotating, flipping, contrast and brightness levels, and cine sequential display. The manipulation tool bar also features a selection tool that allows the interpreting radiologist to designate the "key" images of the study. The annotation tool bar provides tools for the positioning and orientation within images of text, lines, arrowheads, circles, and boxes. The annotation tool bar also features a freehand "pencil" tool and an eraser as well as a toggle to switch between displaying the image with and without the annotations.
Recorded Voice Clip: The ImageLink Viewer includes an audio tool bar to allow the capture of the radiologist's impression in a recorded voice clip of up to one minute. The audio tool bar includes record, playback, delete, pause, and stop buttons. Only the interpreting radiologist will have access to record, delete, or save voice clips.
Query: The Viewer features a query function that allows the interpreting radiologist to search for historical comparisons. Queries can be performed using combinations of the following criteria: Patient Name, Item/Exam, Body Part, Film Number, Radiologist, Patient Gender, Exam Date, Technologist, Patient Age, Date Range, Ordering Physician, Patient Type, Modality, Interpreting Diagnosis.
Study Information Index: The Study Information Index provides supporting documentation to assist in diagnostic decision support. The index is provided in a movable/dockable window with a tool bar option to display or hide the window. The index provides access to Patient/Study Information, Technologist Notes, and Study Transcriptions. Patient/Study Information includes the following fields: Patient Name, Ordering Physician, Exam Room, Sex, Hospital Room, Allergies, Age, Location, Admit Date, Date of Birth, Patient Type, Discharge Date, X-ray Number, Reason for Procedure, Isolation, Exam Scheduled Date/Time, Priority, and Weight.
The Technologist Notes section is a text box that provides for the capture of any pertinent study information generated by the technologist performing the procedure. The Study Transcriptions section provides access to the completed study transcription as well as any related historical transcriptions pertinent to the study.
Key Image View: The Key Image View is a display option that provides a concise review of the relevant study information as designated by the interpreting radiologist. A tool bar is provided to allow a quick toggle between the complete study and the key images. In the Key Image View, the designated key images, one minute voice clip, and completed transcription document are selectable with all other tool bars disabled. For physicians reviewing cases on referral, the Key Image View can be set as the default display saving time on routine cases while allowing access to the entire study when reviewing more complicated cases.
Hardware: The ImageLink hardware configuration includes a robust multi-processor IBM server, an initial 1 terabyte disk array, and high capacity automated tape library. The system is designed to maintain system availability by featuring a dedicated uninterruptible power supply, automatic network fault tolerance with load-balancing dual network interfaces, RAID Level 5 redundancy to protect data from equipment failure, and an automatic unattended back-up routine that requires no system down time. The system is scalable both in storage resources and workstations allowing ImageLink to grow with the needs of an individual facility. Additional disk arrays can easily be added and an optional DVD R/W library offers deep storage for the permanent inclusion of diagnostic images in patient EMR's.
Diagnostic quality workstations include a standard monitor for worklist display and dual high-resolution 3 megapixel monitors for displaying and manipulating study images. Clinical review quality workstations with 2 megapixel monitors, in single or dual monitor configurations, can be placed throughout the facility to provide high quality "light boxes" in care areas, such as the emergency room, to facilitate the review of completed studies. The ImageLink Viewer can also be placed on any fixed workstation with standard monitor as well as mobile laptops, tablets, and Point of Care documentation stations allowing images to be reviewed from anywhere, at any time.
