Front Porch Digital Introduces The DICOM DataMover
Enables the Seamless Migration of Patient Medical Information Between DICOM-Compliant Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS)
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Front Porch Digital Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: FPDI - news) today announced the immediate availability of the DICOM DataMover: an enterprise-class software application that enables the seamless, offline migration of patients' digitized medical information between DICOM-compliant PACS medical image archive systems.
In order to derive the maximum benefit from modern healthcare IT, many of the more proactive hospitals have invested in Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). By digitizing medical images (such as X-rays, CAT scans, and MRIs) and the associated data and then storing them in an archive, they can then be sent electronically to display stations located around the hospital whenever they are needed, virtually at the touch of a button. Digital Imaging Communication in Medicine (DICOM) is a communications standard set forth by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the National Electronic Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). The purpose of DICOM is to provide uniformity and compatibility between PACS equipment vendors. Once an image is acquired at the host modality, it must be in a digital format to be sent over a computer network. In order for vendors to share all patient demographics and other necessary image information, the vendors must comply with the DICOM standard. DICOM allows images to be exchanged between different vendors while maintaining standard patient demographics and image information. Without it, communications between different vendors' systems would not be possible.
Designed for flexibility, scalability, and reliability, Front Porch Digital's DICOM DataMover provides the capability to seamlessly migrate patient data stored on any DICOM-compliant PACS image archive system, such as those manufactured by Agfa, General Electric (GE), Philips, and Siemens, to any other DICOM-compliant PACS image archive system with no impact to the client's daily operations or the performance of the PACS systems. The DICOM DataMover is an application running on a Windows NT/2000 workstation that is networked with two or more PACS systems, and acts as a DICOM client to the DICOM servers and 'moves' patients' data from one system to the other. Since the DICOM DataMover is implemented as a fully compliant DICOM client, it can easily migrate data between PACS systems of the same or different vendors and is independent of the data storage technology used in either the source or the target PACS server.
A flexible transfer rate control mechanism provides for automatic adjustment of the transfer rate based on the load of the PACS so that the data migration operation does not impact the normal operation of the PACS systems. In the case of large (or multiple) PACS digital image archives, multiple DICOM DataMover workstations can be used. The DICOM DataMover can operate unattended, while the data migration process is monitored via periodic reports generated by the workstation and 'uploaded' to a secure web site.
``Front Porch Digital's DICOM DataMover provides a reliable, automated method for healthcare providers to take advantage of the many benefits that digital medical imaging provides hospitals and other healthcare providers,'' said Dr. Giancarlo Gaggero, senior vice president of media technologies for Front Porch Digital. ``The DICOM DataMover is unique in that it is the first and only offline, standalone system that will quickly and easily enable the migration of patient data between DICOM-compliant PACS stations with virtually no impact to normal operations.''
Other key features and advantages include:
-- The software-based architecture allows for flexibility, batch
processing, and automation templates. This enables process automation,
ensuring a seamless, controlled workflow among PACS archive subsystems
for bulk data migration.
-- The DICOM DataMover is easily installed and used on Windows NT and 2000
workstations. The DICOM DataMover not only supports individual
workstations with multiple processors, but also configurations that
provide multi-threaded parallel processing and batch processing for
improved production workflows.
-- The DICOM DataMover is a software application designed to operate
unattended, and does not require any customer personnel, CPU cycles,
tape and disk channels, or other digital devices for its operation.
-- The DICOM DataMover can maintain a sustained transfer rate of up to
20GB per day per workstation, and is designed for unattended operation
24 hours per day, seven days per week. |
