Software for Server Appliances

The latest software release from Candelis Inc, Irvine, Calif, for the company’s line of server appliances features broad new information- and user-management features, as well as an upgraded user interface. Version 1.2 of the ImageGrid boasts a tape archiving service to provide storage extension, automated storage retention, a DICOM transfer services engine, support for multiple types of users, and easier navigation. ImageGrid is designed to streamline imaging centers’ and clinics’ efforts to meet the patient record retention requirements of HIPAA; the software uses automated, rule-based routing of DICOM industry-standard images. (800) 800-8600; www.candelis.com.

Wireless EMR and Communication Solution

New from eHealth Solutions, New York, is an electronic medical record (EMR) solution for health care professionals. SigmaCare personal handheld devices, akin to Palm Pilots, store patient history, appointments, prescriptions, and drug facts for access anytime, both remotely and at the point of care. SigmaCare also features secure electronic drug and supply ordering; admission, discharge, and transfer functionality; transaction tracking; Medicare Part D formulary data; and resident- and payor-specific formulary and prior-authorization information. It also includes a “wristband” safety feature to alert physicians to their patients’ allergies and medical history. (877) 472-3379; www.ehealthsolutions.com.


Guidelines for Radiology Facility Design

A new book, The Architecture of Medical Imaging: Designing Healthcare Facilities for Advanced Radiological Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques by Bill Rostenberg, FAIA, FACHA, aims to provide guidelines for the design and development of imaging facilities. Exam-ining such topics as workflow, department location and configuration, space requirements, and renovation versus new construction, the book also includes safety and design guidelines from both the American College of Radiology and the American Institute of Architects in its appendix. Rostenberg is a principal and director of research at Anshen + Allen, San Francisco, an international architectural firm specializing in health care facility design.(877) 762-2974; www.wiley.com/architecture.

Compact Color and Hybrid Printers

Sony Medical Systems, Park Ridge, NJ, is introducing a selection of advanced printers at the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators annual meeting, July 31–August 3 in Las Vegas; see “The Department” for a preview. First is the UP-D77MD (at right bottom), a color 8- x 10-inch DICOM printer designed for printing such studies as PET/CT and 3D CT. Next are the UP-990AD (at right top) and UP-970AD, two hybrid printers that support full-page monochrome printing for such applications as mobile C-arm, ultrasound, and cardiac catheterization. The UP printers provide both analog and digital connectivity. Also, Sony now offers the Certified Professional Repair Facility program, through which Sony will provide on-site printer servicing of the FilmStation system for 1 year following the purchase date.(800) 686-SONY; www.sony.com/medical.

Network Storage Devices

Hammer Storage, San Jose, Calif, a division of Bell Microproducts, recently launched a line of network storage devices, the Z-series. The line currently offers the Hammer Z-Box HZD4B (at right top), a Z-box desktop product; and the Hammer Z-Rack HZR1U (at right bottom), a Z-rack rackmount. Powered by Zetera’s Z-SAN technology, which uses a storage-over-IP architecture, the family of solutions boasts several features: simultaneous optimization of performance, scalability, reliability, and cost; elimination of the necessity of Fibre Channel switches, host-bus adapters, TCP offload engines, and RAID controllers; and aggregation for capacity up to 128 petabytes per volume and for performance of 10 or more gigabytes per second across multiple enclosures. The storage solutions also include hardware RAID functionality and the ability to extend RAID volumes across multiple enclosures, as well as file and volume sharing on a block-based device. (888) 444-9977; www.hammer-storage.com

Updated Version of CT Lung CAD Software

R2 Technology, Sunnyvale, Calif, which recently was acquired by Hologic Inc, Bedford, Mass, has launched version 2.1 of its ImageChecker CT Lung CAD System. The new technology features expanded PACS integration, enabling results from the AutoPoint temporal comparison tool (shown here) to be sent to a PACS workstation for efficient comparison of current and previous CAD results—without a dedicated R2 workstation. The software’s pulmonary artery patency examination tool also has been updated with volume calculations for filling defects, and is now available separately from the lung nodule detection system, offering more configuration flexibility.(866) 243-2533; www.r2tech.com

Remote Monitoring of RIS/PACS

Dynamic Imaging, Allendale, NJ, has added a remote system monitoring feature to its IntegradWeb PACS and RIS/PACS platforms. Called Guardian, the system provides complete, proactive monitoring of hardware, software, and network connectivity. Guardian also tracks the ongoing performance of other Dynamic Imaging software applications installed at the facility, automatically checking and compiling such criteria as image acquisition or compression queues to alert end users to any potential degradation problems in advance. Guardian monitors from the company’s headquarters. (888) 303-PACS; www.dynamic-imaging.com

Fusion Software Package for PET/CT

GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis, recently introduced a new software fusion application that will enable health care professionals to combine CT and PET data and nuclear medicine images on the AW workstation and analyze them within a single application. Images will be viewable in both 2D and 3D reformats, allowing clinicians to evaluate visualizations in coronal, sagittal, and axial views. An image generated at University Hospital, Zurich, where the new software is being evaluated, was recently named image of the year by Henry Wagner, MD, for the Society of Nuclear Medicine. (800) 886-0815; www.gehealthcare.com

New Suite of Business Services

AMICAS Inc, Boston, recently launched AMICAS Insight Services, a suite of services designed to increase the efficiency of radiology practices and reduce total operating cost. Insight Services facilitate payment management, payor reports, electronic statements, and archiving of statements. The suite will be deployable in customizable combinations to suit the needs of individual clients, and it will be fully integrated with the company’s Vision Series Financials platform. It will be commercially available in third quarter 2006. (617) 779-7878; www.amicas.com

West Coast Web Hosting Service

MEDSEEK, Solvang, Calif, a provider of content management technology and Web applications, has partnered with Qwest, Denver, to offer advanced Web hosting capabilities to its West Coast hospital and health care clients. MEDSEEK, whose software application is developed specifically for health care and the Web, hosts its clients’ portals in Qwest’s cybercenters. Qwest’s Burbank, Calif-based hosting services include consistent environmental support; advanced around-the-clock security, including biometric access screening, and indoor and outdoor security monitoring; disaster control; connectivity to provide systems with redundant access on Qwest’s Tier 1 network; and 24/7 system monitoring and management. MEDSEEK provides a 100-megabyte connection in Qwest’s cybercenters, and each cybercenter has 2.4 gigabytes of bandwidth. (888) MEDSEEK; www.medseek.com