Fujifilm’s DryPix 7000 and Sony’s new S-AIT new tape-based technology platform as demonstrated by Rorke Data

IT’s presence grew, yet again, at this year’s RSNA meeting with the majority of booths on the show floor featuring IT offerings. New product offerings overflowed with better solutions to improve the performance of healthcare facilities while optimizing patient care. Integration, connectivity and workflow enhancements were the mantra for sure — especially as IT spending overall, and PACS specifically, is seeing a healthy jump.

GE Medical Systems (Waukesha, Wis.) showcased the new version of its Centricity RIS/PACS. Centricity RIS/PACS 2.0 expands the capabilities of the image and information management technology. New features of the system enable clinicians to efficiently manage large volumes of images produced by 16-slice CT and high-speed MR scanners. GE announced that it has received FDA clearance on technology that allows clinicians to read softcopy mammography images at the same workstation through the PACS functionality. The new version will be available for commercial sale in the second quarter.

GEMS also introduced new technology that makes it possible to bring filmless technology to smaller hospitals and imaging centers. The company modified its Centricity technology and tailored it to facilities with a volume of fewer than 50,000 procedures annually. Centricity Express is a lower-cost, personal computer-based PACS that enables physicians to view, archive and manage digital patient images. Priced under $100,000, Centricity Express allows facilities to expand their PACS to an enterprise system as the budget allows.

GEMS also unveiled new image archiving technology-Centricity Enterprise Archive. The new enterprise image management solution provides common storage and image distribution for large volumes of images regardless of where the images were generated or what system was used to capture the data. Centricity Enterprise Archive can be integrated into existing technology through industry standards such as DICOM and HL-7, and it supports a variety of storage systems. Another new offering from GEMS is Centricity Secure Storage Provider (SSP). Centricity SSP provides off-site image storage for image from any vendor’s PACS. SSP is an ASP solution.

Please refer to the January 2003 issue for the complete story. For information on article reprints, contact Martin St. Denis