The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has released a new edition of its Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) Standard, designed to allow digital imaging technologies to interact seamlessly. This year, the standard’s annual update includes a machine-readable XML data format in addition to the standard PDF and Microsoft Word formats, enabling software and validation tools to automatically import the standard without time consuming or error-prone manual transcription.

“In the era of big data, it is more important than ever for health information technology to use appropriate standards to connect healthcare systems so that data can flow and be understood between different systems. The machine-readable standard makes this happen,” said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA. “The new edition of the DICOM Standard also includes a family of DICOM web services which will facilitate wider image sharing, enhance accessibility for clinical interpretation, and advance a more evidence-based, patient-focused healthcare process.”

The DICOM standard is intended to improve healthcare informatics, allowing patients to benefit from faster and more effective care. The XML format will make it possible to issue DICOM revisions on a quarterly basis, shortening the lag time to adoption and implementation.

For more information, visit MITA.