Agfa Healthcare has joined the RSNA Image Share Validation Program as a pilot vendor, in a bid to receive validation for their Enterprise Imaging platform.
Interoperability is vital to the success of image exchange as the technology reaches ubiquity. Over 90% of hospitals are using some type of PACS or RIS system, and the RNSA wanted to ensure the systems would remain compatible going forward.
It partnered with The Sequoia Project and the Mallindrockt Institute of Radiology at Washington University-St. Louis to offer a validation program using international quality standards. Vendors who successfully pass the testing program are awarded the RSNA Image Share Validation mark, signifying their interoperability to purchasers.
The validation program operates as an arm of RSNA’s larger Image Share Program, a nationwide network allowing radiologists and patients to share images with EMR records. One of the calling cards of the program is the additional control given to patients, who can maintain their personal imaging history online and securely share info with care providers.
Image-sharing improves patient-physician communication and actively involves patients in their care—something increasingly desired in the 21st century. In addition, the ability for physicians to access patient records across vendor systems will help them make more informed clinical decisions and reduce duplicate imaging.
"Pilot participation in RSNA's Image Sharing Validation Program is a powerful testament to our commitment to interoperability with Agfa HealthCare's Enterprise Imaging platform," says Lenny J. Reznik, IT Business Unit Vice President for Agfa Healthcare.