Healthcare IT, Telemedicine For Sale - Page 3

Teleradiology information systems for transmission of radiology images

Information systems using telecommunications for transmitting and receiving digital images such as MRI, DR, and CT. Images and text can be transmitted to and from remote sites and in emergency situations when on-site radiologist consultation is not available.

Tips for Buying a Telemedicine System

1. Buyers should choose a telemedicine system that provides the resolution and performance that best suit their needs.

2. Facilities considering the purchase of such a telemammography system should look into the applications of the teleradiology system.

3. Facilities that need real-time telemedicine system reviews by consulting physicians at different sites are looking for high-resolution images and rapid transmission by either ISDN or satellite for point-to-point transmission or by dedicated coaxial cable, DSL, or cable modems for LAN transmission.

4. On-call radiologists at home can get telemammography system image transmission over telephone lines. Each radiologist should have a high-resolution computer monitor at home, and the department should have a portable modem, CPU, and hard disk that the radiologist can carry home.

5. Facilities should invest in a laser imager if they wish to have a hardcopy review.

6. When users plan to integrate the teleradiology system with a PACS, they should consider the compatibility with communications standards, such as the Open System Interconnect, which was developed under the guidance of the International Organization for Standardization.

7. The ACR/NEMA Digital Imaging and Communications standard ensures data exchange among imaging devices, regardless of the brand or image format used. It sets minimum requirements for hardware, data-link service, networking, message presentation, and applications.

8. Open architectures that comply with ACR/NEMA and ISO/OSI standards are now replacing supplier-specific network architectures.

9. When facilities adopt an industry-wide standard, they can install multi-supplier telemedicine systems and reduce the expenses of implementing a whole digital department.

10. Buyers are encouraged to get a list of users from the manufacturer and consult with experienced telemedicine system experts before purchasing a system.

11. Any new equipment purchased should be DICOM compatible to facilitate networking.

Questions for the Seller

Before you purchase your Telemedicine System, we recommend you ask the seller the following questions:

General

• Software installed? (Name + Version)
• Does the system include a printer?