RSNA and Carequality Imaging Create Data Exchange Implementation Guide

December 27, 2019 — The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and Carequality have developed the Imaging Data Exchange Implementation Guide Supplement, expanding the scope of the Carequality Interoperability Framework to detail technical standards that enable the exchange of medical images. The publication is the result of RSNA’s partnership withCarequalityand theSequoia Project这两个组织致力于扩大健康记录的在线访问。

Currently, CDs and DVDs are the most common method of transmitting medical images. Patients frequently endure inconvenience, delay and expense in obtaining images and shuttling them among their care providers. A significant number of redundant imaging exams are performed each year, simply because prior images are not readily available. Network-based access to medical images addresses these quality, safety and efficiency issues in radiologic care.

A town hall event was held on Dec. 2, 2019, at RSNA’s annual meeting to announce publication of the supplement.David S. Mendelson, M.D., FACR, senior associate in clinical informatics and vice chair of radiology IT at the Mount Sinai Health System, andCurtis P. Langlotz, M.D., Ph.D., professor of radiology and biomedical informatics research at Stanford University Medical Center and RSNA board laison for information technology and annual meeting, spoke about RSNA’s longstanding efforts to develop and implement standards to enable secure and convenient network-based access to medical images.

Also at the event,Donald Rucker, M.D., the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, spoke about the high value his agency places on enabling patient access to their complete medical record, including, critically, their imaging records, andGeraldine B. McGinty, M.D., M.B.A., FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors discussed the ACR’s shared commitment to this goal, championed through the #DitchtheDisk campaign.

该活动还表彰了Ambra Health、Life Image和Philips Healthcare承诺成为护理质量成像数据交换实施计划的早期采纳者。RSNA和Carequality欢迎其他成像供应商加入他们的计划。

“We are truly entering the era of safe, secure and expeditious exchange of imaging information, making it easily accessible for the patient’s benefit, when the patient most needs it,” Mendelson said. “We encourage other networks that support imaging to join and extend the availability of patient imaging exams.”

Carequality and Sequoia Project are closely allied, distinct nonprofit organizations supporting the advancement of health information exchange nationwide with complimentary strategies. TheCarequality Interoperability Frameworkprovides governance and technical specifications to enable the linking of health information exchange networks in the United States, regardless of geography or technology. More than 600,000 physicians exchange more than 80 million patient documents each month under the framework, which is now expanding with the adoption of the Implementation Guide supplement by imaging vendors.

“We look forward to working with the three pioneering imaging vendors and salute their commitment to empowering their customers to exchange imaging studies electronically via the Carequality Interoperability Framework,” said Dave Cassel, executive director of Carequality.

红杉项目之前与RSNA合作管理图像共享验证测试程序，该程序测试供应商是否符合实施指南中使用的相同标准。该项目所依据的标准是在整合医疗保健企业(IHE)下开发的，该组织是RSNA在1997年帮助创建的。这些标准在RSNA图像共享网络的实施中得到了完善。RSNA图像共享网络是由美国国家生物医学成像和生物工程研究所资助的一个试点项目，旨在证明建立一个全国性的图像共享网络的可行性。

“护理质量”是一个国家级别的共识建立的通用互操作性框架，以实现卫生数据共享网络之间的交换。护理质量汇集了不同的群体，包括电子健康记录(EHR)供应商、记录定位服务(RLS)供应商以及私营部门和政府的其他类型的现有网络。