Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, based in Hartford, CT, manages hospitals in four additional Connecticut cities and offices in several other locations around the state. Five years ago they began investigating PACS in their transition from film to digital images. The radiology team liked several features of the Philips iSite PACS product but one in particular caught their eye.
PACS Administrator and Radiology Analyst Thomas Mooney explained, “We liked the fact that Philips provides the servers, software support and disaster recovery. But the openness of the software development kit and the ability to build our own application programming interfaces was a big plus. Other companies were not as flexible.”
APIs open applications and allow the exchange of information.* At Connecticut Children’s, the IT staff identified an important need early on: an interface for their radiology information system (RIS) to PACS. While they were searching for a new RIS, they made the unusual decision to build their own system. “We built our own RIS in six weeks intending it to last six to eight months,” said Mooney. Five years later, they are still using it until implementation of the new Philips XIRIS system is complete later this year.
Now using iSite Radiology, iSite Enterprise and iVault, the medical center acquires approximately 60,000 images a year and has 350,000 to 400,000 studies stored.
The talented hospital team also developed its own voice recognition software, which was, according to Mooney, a more complicated process than building the RIS. Interfacing with RIS and iSite PACS, the voice recognition software allows radiologists to interpret images verbally saving them time.
The radiology team also utilizes an API for 3D software, allowing clinicians to re-format CT and MRI images into 3D images to view bone, muscle and other structures. Another application that was developed gives the orthopedic department the ability to open an orthopedic templating tool.
Other APIs launch reports for clinicians, allowing easy access and the ability to move quickly from patients’ EMRs to iSite PACS. Reports as well as images can be viewed throughout the large Connecticut Children’s campus, as well as at all satellite facilities.
Acknowledging the hospital team has built several successful APIs itself, Mooney credits the Philips API team too. “It’s been a big benefit knowing we can contact them for support.”
Even after the XIRIS implementation, the medical center will continue to use several of its own APIs.
*iSite PACS API is an interface, not a product, and it requires TPP validation by the vendor or customer.