The Society for Computer Applications in Radiology has published its first book and white paper, with more in the works.

The inaugural publications, designed to help healthcare professionals better understand PACS security and image data compression issues, will be available initially at the SCAR booth during the annual Chicago meeting of the RSNA on Nov. 26 to Dec. 1.

Beginning Dec. 1, they can also be ordered on the SCAR Web site. SCAR intends to release one or two such publications every year.

The white paper by Dr. Bradley Erickson of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discusses the use of compression for the storage and transmission of radiological images. It is the first of two white papers to be published on image compression. The next one, to be issued in summer 2001, will provide policies and procedures that facilities can use to assure good quality when they do use image compression, said Anna Marie Mason, SCAR's director.

The book, Security Issues in the Digital Medical Enterprise, edited by Drs. Bruce Reiner, Eliot Siegel, and Sam Dwyer, is a primer on the necessity of proper electronic image management system security.

"As more and more healthcare facilities go digital, there are heightened concerns over security of data and patient confidentiality," Reiner said. "It's particularly timely now with all the impending HIPPA regulations, which are going into effect in the next 24 months or so."

Although everyone is excited about the digital revolution in radiology and healthcare, most have not given enough thought to the problems of security that come with the digital technology, according to Reiner.

"The idea behind the primer was to try to give everyone a fairly global perspective on the different security issues," he said.