What is DICOM Compatibility?

DICOM stands for Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine. Developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) in 1993, it is the international standard for medical image transmission and storage. DICOM is the universal language of medical imaging and, as such, it is required by law to be used for all medical imaging.

What Does DICOM Do?

DICOM is accepted in the field as a way to simplify the development of all medical imaging. There are many functions of DICOM, however, not all software will (or needs to be) compliant to them all. Most products will advertise their level of compatibility to show what they are capable of. “DICOM-Compatibility” simply means that different users of different imaging devices will be able to smoothly exchange information. There are five core DICOM functions considered important for radiology.

Send: The ability to send DICOM images to another compliant software.

Receive/Store: The ability to receive images from a send compliant software and save them.

Worklist: The ability to receive patient data from another worklist compliant system. This is usually used to send scheduled patient information to the software controlling a Digital Radiography (DR) or Computed Radiography (CR) system.

Query/Retrieve: The ability to view an image from a central database on another computer

Print: The ability to send information to a DICOM printer, in order to print an “X-Ray” film.

Do your devices come with DICOM features pre-installed?

Many practice management systems do not come with DICOM installed by default. At JPI we bundle our products with our trademark ExamVue software, which unlocks all of the provided capability. This deal gives your new installation the ability to communicate with other DICOM enabled software. You may have to pay extra to other companies to get the most out of other software but that’s not the case with JPI. At JPI Healthcare Solutions, we strive to make your transition to digital not only affordable, but also user-friendly too.