ACR adds standards for PACS, teleradiology

ACR adds standards for PACS, teleradiology

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has bolstered its standards relating to PACS and teleradiology. The Reston, VA-based organization has updated its Standard for Teleradiology and created a Standard for Digital Image Data Management (DIDM). Both take effect Jan. 1, 1999.

Last revised in 1996, the latest iteration of the teleradiology standard incorporates a number of changes. Equipment specifications were streamlined and redefined, breaking down acquisition by direct and secondary capture (versus matrices in the prior version). Display capabilities were expanded upon, and sections were added to cover image archiving, retrieval, and security, as well as reliability and redundancy. The QA/QC section was expanded to include safety, infection control, and patient education concerns.

The DIDM standard provides guidelines for digital image management for any single modality up to a complete PACS network. Like the teleradiology standard, DIDM addresses the qualifications and responsibilities for personnel. Detailed equipment specifications for the use of secondary image capture for both small and large matrices are provided, and guidelines on handling patient data, data compression, image transmission and QA/QC issues are also included. For more information, visit the ACR's Web site at www.acr.org.

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