The Way in Which PACS, RIS, and HIS Are Used in the Overall Management of an Imaging Department - Essay Example

Each of the technologies discussed supports the imaging department in one way or another, and more so in (IT) Information Technology-related functions.

PACS

            The Picture Archiving and Communication System is a complex of software and hardware that serves the imaging department by allowing it to manipulate digital imaging information in form of texts and images (Joseph, 2006). In addition to manipulation, it provides the department with optimal storage for patient data files and images. PACS also offers a centralized electronic system that allows sharing of images by transmission and regulated access. The system also provides connections to other workstations within its network where other users can access patient information. The most integral provision of PACS in the imaging department is that it facilitates simultaneous viewing of images by various departments that may need it.

            Therefore, PACS serves four main purposes in an imaging department. These include image displaying, archiving, sharing, and interfacing with other hospital systems to provide seamless access to information (Daffner, 2007, p. 7). Firstly, PACS captures digital image data, which is then archived for use. After archiving, the information is made available for sharing and simultaneous access through networks provided. Finally, the system provides an interface that allows seamless access by other hospital systems as well as the possibility of display within other systems (PC Consultant Group Incorporation, 2004).

RIS

            The radiology information system provides functional services that relate to the management of image data and other associated patient data. Therefore, while the PACS may be more concerned with the management of image-related information, RIS incorporates other patient information such as demographic data into its management system. Analyzing a patient’s image may require more information than just the name or number of the patient. There is a need to access other patient information such as age, kind of suspected illness, and symptoms-just to mention, but a few. Access to the rest of the information helps in evaluating the image in relation to other pertinent patient information. Therefore, RIS is simply a networked software suite meant to manage image information and coordinate its association with other data related to the images acquired from the patients (Winter, 2010, p. 125).

            Therefore, RIS helps in the management of radiological data associated with other forms of data located in multiple locations within or without the facility. As such, the RIS system is often interfaced with the PACS system so as to facilitate other management activities such as billing and workflow. A specific breakdown of tasks undertaken by RIS within the imaging department would include:

• Patient management: RIS helps in tracking a patient through the system and the entire workflow related to the patient. This may include information addition and retrieval (Rouse, 2010).
• Scheduling: Visits or appointments could be planned by a radiology staff based on the system (Rouse, 2010).
• Tracking of Patient: The progress of the patient through the department could be traced from admission to the time of discharge (Rouse, 2010).
• Reporting and Billing: RIS could generate statistical information on a group of patients or individuals, which could be used for further studies or help in billing (Rouse, 2010).

HIS

            The Hospital Information System is an overall hospital information technology system that integrates all IT-related hospitals systems that generate various forms of information. HIS is thus the overall input and output of hospital information on all patients. HIS consists of a network of computers that collects all forms of data including social security numbers, date of birth, full name, insurance information, imaging data as well as diagnostic data (Winter, 2010, p. 83). Apart from facilitating the collection, storage, and retrieval, the system also serves the purpose of interfacing all systems within any health facility. Therefore, PACS and RIS are all sub-systems under HIS, and HIS serves the purpose of regulating their use and access (Boochever, 2004, p. 16). This regulatory purpose of HIS is important under the Health Insurance Portability Act (HIPAA). The system is responsible for regulating access depending on the design conferred during its design. The radiology department may thus use certain fields in the HIS system to acquire data, which may be combined with radiology examination information to generate (Tan, 2001, p. 127). HIS commonly hosts the synchronization phase that ensures information sharing between different systems meets set protocols. Therefore, to the imaging department, HIS serves a facilitative purpose of ensuring smooth interfacing with the rest of the system and compliance to sharing regulations and security. The purpose of the RIS/HIS gateway regulation includes distributing, sorting, managing, archiving, and translating other patient information types such as text into the PACS system, which is the main imaging department system. Therefore, compliance to regulation and security of information on the HIS system is an important role for the system because of virtually all sections of the overall system (Taira & Bui, 2010, p. 71).