<title>HIS/RIS/PACS integration toward total hospital information system</title>

Abstract

The SNUH started a project to innovate the hospital information facilities. This project include installation of high speed hospital network, development of new HIS, OCS(order communication system), RIS and PACS. This project aims at the implementation of the first total hospital information system by seamlessly integrating these systems together. To achieve this goal, we took three-tiered systems integration approach : network level, database level, and workstation level integration.There are 3 loops of networks in SNUH : proprietary star network for host computer based HIS, Ethernet based hospital LAN for OCS and RIS, and ATM based network for PACS. They are linked together at the backbone level to allow high speed communication between these systems. We have developed special communication modules for each system that allow data interchange between different databases and computer platforms. We have also developed an integrated workstation in which both the OCS and PACS application programs run on a single computer in an integrated manner allowing the clinical users to access and display radiological images as well as textual clinical information within a single user environment.A study is in progress toward a total hospital information system in SNUH by seamlessly integrating the main hospital information resources such as HIS, OCS, PACS. With the threetiered systems integration approach, we could successfully integrate the systems from the network level to the user application level.

SPIE Medical Imaging 50th anniversary: history of the Picture Archiving and Communication Systems Conference

“…In spite of the excitement for technology advances and anticipation of the benefits of digital imaging and PACS, multiple papers presented a more critical view noting the pitfalls and shortcomings 344 , 345 in a session titled “PACS: Why Has It Taken So Long?” One issue was the lack of RIS integration, creating PACS without the intelligence of the traditional film-based workflow. 346 – 352 A second issue was the lack of availability of digital images to those needing them outside of radiology. 353 , 354 Workstation requirements for very large PACS implementations 355 and networking bottlenecks 356 , 357 were also problematic.…”