Vijay Ramanathan, President & CEO With the introduction of new modalities, imaging techniques, and workflows in diagnostic imaging today, a key challenge to have emerged is an increase in the size of images and imaging datasets. Enabling physicians to view these images from anywhere and on any web-enabled device, Toronto-based RamSoft brings in over two decades of experience in developing end user customizable, feature-rich imaging workflow solutions. The firm’s web-based, distributed diagnostic imaging solutions—combining Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS)—feature multi-modality support, near real-time replication to a redundant server,and seamlessly integrates with a wide range of Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to provide 1-click access to images.
RamSoft's entire range of scalable radiology workflow solutions is built on a single platform database infrastructure, to help minimize redundant tasks, decrease data errors, and boost consistency throughout healthcare practices. The firm’s PowerServer series of RIS/PACS, Teleradiology, and image management systems are equipped with a PowerServer Workflow Engine to automate and streamline the radiology workflow for outpatient practices, radiology groups, and hospitals. The firm offers a consolidated workflow through customizable and unified worklists that enable physicians to track the exams through the scheduling, registration, imaging, reporting and report-distribution phases.
For radiologists, aggregating data and images from multiple facilities and modalities ranging from single image chest X-rays or very large datasets such as digital breast tomosynthesis, RamSoft’s unified worklist facilitate a seamless workflow with simple status transitions to suit each ordering physician's or facility’s requirements. “A top-down and bottom-up worklist approach allows radiologists to have exceptionally productive experiences instead of searching for studies and figuring out tasks individually,” states Vijay Ramanathan, President & CEO of RamSoft.
A top-down and bottom-up worklist approach allows radiologists to have exceptionally productive experiences instead of searching for studies and figuring out tasks individually
The company’s Rapid Results viewer allows referring physicians to click on a hyperlink within the diagnostic reports and obtain direct access to the images, and then view and manipulate those images from any browser or mobile device. The firm also offers remote rendering capability that allows images or frames to be rendered as requested by physicians without the need to transfer entire datasets.
Furthermore, RamSoft offers a comprehensive RIS/PACS designed for Teleradiology with a singular focus on streamlining radiology workflows. For instance, a southern Georgia-based radiologist leveraged RamSoft’s technology to deliver radiology services to hospitals and ambulatory centers. The firm tied up with a hosting partner with multiple Internet Service Providers to resolve connectivity and infrastructure-related issues while setting up the teleradiology practice and delivered the software solutions to connect with different hospitals and aggregate the data from them. By collaborating with this customer, RamSoft has nurtured this practice to a point today where there are more than 30 specialized radiologists in this group that cater to around 20 hospitals and ambulatory centers. As a result, the patients in the community have access to highly specialized radiologists who provide radiology sub-specialty expertise to facilities across the region.
Ramanathan believes that radiology has plenty of room to grow with regards to improving both physician and patient access to healthcare information. In an age when patients have sophisticated technology readily available on their smartphones, tablets and wearable devices, RamSoft wants to leverage this expanding internet connectivity to simplify the access to diagnostic images and speed up the delivery of healthcare information. “A key disruption in the diagnostic imaging space today is the ease of access, and the ubiquity of it all is bringing down the proprietary barriers that prevent access to images,” concludes Ramanathan.
