RIS/PACS integration becomes increasingly popular in Europe
19 June 2007 London, UK. The integration of radiology information
systems (RIS) with picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) is
fast becoming a defining trend in the European RIS market, with sales of RIS
systems expected to increase as a result, according to Frost & Sullivan.
The market earned revenues of $125.0 million in 2006 and Frost & Sullivan
estimates this to reach $181.0 million in 2013. "Demand from healthcare IT
customers reveals a distinct preference for RIS/PACS integration," says
Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Ranjit Ravindranathan. "RIS sales in
conjunction with PACS are, therefore, a major and growing segment of the RIS
market." While the benefits of RIS/PACS integration are many — improved
clinical workflow, simplified work for technologists and reduced data
inconsistencies that are common in manual data entry — the intrinsic
differences in both systems is likely to make this a challenging task. RIS
is a transaction-oriented system that deals with dynamic information for a
limited storage volume, while PACS is oriented toward data access and the
manipulation of large sets of fixed-content image data. RIS, PACS and
hospital information systems (HIS) are interdependent systems, but are not
compatible in terms of the interfaces they use. While HIS and RIS use health
level seven (HL7), PACS uses digital imaging and communication in medicine
(DICOM).
Offering high-level interoperability of PACS with existing legacy systems
such as RIS and HIS is one of the most complex aspects of PACS/RIS
integration, which is only likely to become more complicated as the PACS
market increasingly shifts from traditional hardware-software solutions to
software-only products. "Providing a smooth administrative platform with
interface with PACS and EMR will be critical in ensuring vendors' success,"
says Mr. Ravindranathan. "Providers capable of delivering solutions that
exhibit these characteristics will be able to leverage their expertise to
win prized contracts and to this end, will have to remain focused on product
development." Overall, the market is set to experience steady growth due
to large-scale investments in bundled product offerings and initiatives by
governments of the various European countries. The market offers substantial
opportunities for vendors providing customised solutions that easily
interface with various modules in the workflow. To top
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