PACS

Popularity of Windows NT platform continues to grow
as vendors standardize on Microsoft OS

NT, Web, and integration dominate PACS exhibits

Trends in evidence at last year's meeting will recur. Windows NT continues to grow in popularity, particularly at the workstation level. Nearly all PACS companies now have NT versions of their offerings available or plan to release them early next year.

The application of Java and World Wide Web protocols to enable distribution of images and reports to referring physicians continues to grow in prominence, although these technologies are still in the early stage of adoption by customers. These approaches are drawing attention as healthcare institutions look to expand access to PACS networks to physicians outside the radiology department.

Many PACS firms are also highlighting their systems integration capabilities, as hospitals target enterprise-wide, integrated image and information systems. Although the era of the electronic patient record is not yet here, the industry is preparing for its imminent arrival. In response to this interest, healthcare information systems vendors continue to increase their involvement in PACS.

One trend driving interest in large-scale PACS implementations is the commercialization of several new digital radiography systems from Sterling Diagnostic Imaging, Swissray International, and others. Those systems, as well as traditional computed radiography readers sold by Fuji, Agfa, Kodak, and others, show promise for bringing conventional radiography images into PACS networks.

Speech recognition technology continues to develop, and many PACS firms will display integration of those products into their own offerings. In another interesting development, several companies, such as dpiX, will demonstrate flat-panel displays for use in PACS environments. Some industry observers believe that the displays could confer substantial benefits to PACS users, such as longer usable life and smaller equipment footprints.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Access. Access will introduce a Windows NT-based version of its Advanced Compression Server (ACS). The new version features a number of enhancements, including faster image compression/decompression, enhanced routing capabilities, and an improved graphical user interface. The firm has enhanced its work flow and information systems interface capabilities, and it will also introduce a new version of its home diagnostic viewer.

Acuson. This ultrasound vendor will highlight its new Windows NT-based workstation for the Aegis ultrasound miniPACS product. The new workstations offer a number of enhancements, including substantially improved speed and the ability to generate reports online. The company anticipates that shipments of the workstations will commence in January.

Agfa. Agfa will unveil version 4.0 of its Impax PACS offering, which adds Windows NT versions of its workstation software to the product line. The company will continue to provide Sun Solaris-based workstations, and the firm's servers remain on the Sun Solaris platform. Technology co-developed with Agfa's academic partners, such as the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital, will also be displayed. In addition, Agfa PACS technology will again be demonstrated in the booth of partner Toshiba.

ALI. ALI Technologies will highlight version 4.0 of its UltraPACS ultrasound miniPACS product line. As part of the company's plan to allow viewing gray-scale images on UltraPACS, the new release adds support for modalities such as CT and MRI. The new software is completely based on the Windows NT platform and can serve as an enterprise-wide image repository.

Amicas. Amicas, formerly known as Autocyt Group, will introduce Amicas Personal, a version of its Amicas Web-based offering designed for on-call teleradiology applications. Amicas Personal, which the company expects to begin shipping at the meeting, also features prefetching capabilities.

Applicare. This Dutch PACS company will highlight RadWorks 4.0, the latest version of its workstation software that includes features required by its participation in the military's DIN-PACS contract. The release also includes functionality for the private sector, including a quality-control module, a multiplanar reformat (MPR)/maximum intensity projection module, and WebViewer Web-based image viewing software. The company will also display a work-in-progress software-only archive offering based on Windows NT.

Brit. This Texas PACS firm will debut a high-end Windows NT-based 2K x 2.5K-resolution workstation. Availability is expected in the first quarter of 1999, according to the company. Brit will also feature its PACS in a Box concept, which provides smaller hospitals and clinics with a turnkey filmless PACS solution, including equipment and implementation services. In other developments, Brit will show the ACR-2000 CR system from Lumisys in its booth.

Data General/MarkCare. These PACS partners will again exhibit in the same booth at the RSNA show. The two firms installed their first U.S. PACS and teleradiology installation at Princeton (WV) Community Hospital in August.

DeJarnette. As part of its shift from a PACS component supplier to a full-fledged PACS provider, DeJarnette will introduce several new offerings. MediShare IQ serves as the database manager for the company's PACS products, providing capabilities such as prefetching of historical images and interfacing with other healthcare information systems. NetShare IQ connects modalities to DICOM networks, matches up patient information from the HIS or RIS with the appropriate images, and also routes images to other locations.

The company will also introduce an archive offering, which will include RAID for short-term storage and tape for long-term needs. DeJarnette will also display teleradiology and desktop versions of its VisiShare line of workstation software.

DR Systems. A Windows NT-based version of its Dominator workstation software will be on display in this PACS provider's booth. The new version includes voice recognition capability and can support two to four monitors. Another feature is the company's ability to configure the system to meet the user's individual needs, according to DR executives.

Eastman Kodak. Kodak will display several enhancements to its medical viewing stations, including enhanced patient folder capabilities, configurable user interfaces, and image marking for diagnostic workstations. A configurable user interface has also been added to the company's clinical workstations, as have multi-user capability and cine mode.

In Web developments, the company will showcase the Kodak Digital Science 100 medical image server and two versions of Web viewing software. The server allows access to referral images and related reports over the Internet or an intranet, while customers can choose from basic Web viewing software or an enhanced version that allows users to view and print images and reports.

EMED. EMED will highlight its PACSPro/DX Plus offering, which features a viewstation, framegrabber, and small server all in one product. In addition, the company will introduce a DICOM-to-home viewer, which allows users to accept DICOM image transfers from the hospital's PACS or modality network over phone lines. EMED will also debut PACSPro II, a mini-server archive.

Fuji. After demonstrating two CR workstations at last year's meeting, Fuji will roll out the rest of its Windows NT-based Synapse workstation software, as well as servers and storage devices. The Synapse line features Web-based architecture, which confers scalability and lower cost to end users, according to the company. With Web protocols and an on-demand architecture, radiologists and clinicians can access images and reports throughout the enterprise in a familiar work environment. Fuji expects commercial shipments of Synapse to begin in January.

Imation Cemax-Icon. Having signed an agreement to be acquired by Kodak in August, Imation Cemax-Icon will unveil AutoRad NT, a diagnostic workstation based on the popular Windows NT platform. Shipments of AutoRad NT are expected to begin in the first quarter of 1999. The product includes a number of enhancements, such as automatic hanging protocols and the ability to view multimodality images on the same monitors.

Imnet. Imnet Systems will highlight its MedVision PACS line as part of the company's Electronic Information Warehouse concept. HBO & Company announced that it would acquire Imnet in August; the acquisition was expected to close in the fourth quarter.

ISG. OEM supplier ISG Technologies will introduce VR SoftView 3.1, an NT-based workstation software suite that adds capabilities such as speech recognition and the integration of reports and images. In addition, the upgrade allows physicians to be paged as soon as the study is ready to be reviewed.

In archiving developments, the company will debut VR SoftStore 2.1, which enhances the scalability of the archive and adds support for media such as CD-R, magneto-optical disk, and digital linear tape. It can perform image prefetching and can be equipped with a Web server module.

Konica. Konica will debut a scalable DICOM-based archive solution based on CD-ROM storage media. Additionally, the company will display several new versions of its workstation software.

Line Imaging Systems. Line will introduce a number of enhancements to its NT-based WinRad teleradiology workstation. Wavelet compression algorithms developed by Line have been added, as has DICOM printing capability. In addition, the company has added a cardiac angio package to both its image capture and workstation products. The package enables users to rapidly display large angiogram files, according to the firm.

Medasys. This company merged with HIS company Citation Computer Systems in September, and will show its Dx Multimodality PACS offering in concert with C-RIS radiology information system from Citation as part of the Miami-based company's electronic patient record concept.

Merge. Merge will be introducing a report manager offering, a plug-in module that allows users to manage intranet and extranet distribution of images and reports. In addition, Merge has added DICOM worklist management capability to its MergeMVP connectivity product. Displayed at last year's meeting as works in progress, the company's CaseWorks image management tools have been released. Merge will also highlight MergeDPM, a DICOM protocol monitor that allows field service engineers to monitor DICOM communication between devices from their laptops.

Olicon. Olicon has enhanced its product integration effort with partner SMS. Prefetching of patient information and demographics can now be performed. Olicon will also introduce Central Intelligence Manager (CIM), a server and software product that allows PACS users to discern information such as whether or not a study has been read. It will also serve as the firm's primary interface with other healthcare information systems. Finally, Olicon will expand the availability of its teleradiology archive program (TAP) to users of PACS technology from other vendors.

Philips. The Dutch multimodality company will show a number of new capabilities for its PACS offering, including integrated voice recognition software on workstations. The company will also show a built-in Web browser incorporated into its PACS network.

Picker. Version 3.0 of Picker's JPACS/Remote offering will be highlighted. The new release brings autorouting capabilities and the ability to push images to another destination. It also includes faster CR rendering, user interface updates, multiple series/study viewing, and user-specified window/level presets, according to the company.

The firm will also highlight JPACS/Results, which integrates key images with radiology reports from HIS/RIS, allowing users to gain immediate access to vital patient information via the Internet or an intranet.

Rogan. DVD archiving technology will be unveiled by Rogan that will be able to store four times more image data than a similarly sized CD jukebox. The vendor plans to exhibit a 150-slot DVD jukebox at the show, and expects to release DVD archives in the fourth quarter. The firm will also introduce an upgrade to its HyperNET product line that will increase network speeds from 100 megabits per second to one gigabit per second.

Siemens. Siemens will feature the networked radiology department as the theme for its booth this year. Specific PACS applications to be displayed include neuroradiology, emergency-room radiology, and enterprise PACS. The latter concept can employ Java-based viewers that obviate the need for specialized workstations outside the radiology department. In addition, the Java applet eliminates maintenance and system administration needs, as it is always downloaded at the time of use, and as such, does not need to be upgraded for each client.

The company will also highlight a three-tier archiving architecture, that uses RAID, magneto-optical disk, or CD-ROM jukeboxes, and digital versatile disk (DVD) storage media. An upgrade to the vendor's MagicWeb image distribution offering will also be introduced, with availability expected in January. Flat-panel display workstations will be also be shown.

Sterling. An interface that will add DICOM worklist management capabilities to Sterling's integrated PACS and iiRad digital radiography efforts will be emphasized. The company will also launch iiServ, for customers of integrated imaging networks, which includes digital radiography products, PACS technology, and printers.

StorComm. StorComm will display its real-time ultrasound monitoring capability, which will allow physicians to remotely monitor ultrasound scans in progress over a PACS network. The firm will also show ImageACCESS WebView, an addition to its server that allows users to access appropriate clinical information such as reports, audio, and images with a standard Web browser.

MR. RIDLEY is editor of PACS & Networking News, a sister publication of Diagnostic Imaging.