CARESTREAM PACS IS Link Software is a configurable HL-7 interface engine that provides seamless integration of PACS with a Hospital Information System (HIS) and/or a Radiology Information System (RIS).
The IS Link Software functions as an “intelligence agent” for the PACS, collecting relevant information from the HIS/RIS and passing it on to the PACS. It offers these features:
Tight data synchronization between the HIS/RIS and the PACS.
Full support for IHE Scheduled Workflow and Patient Information Reconciliation integration profiles, including patient and study-data synchronization with the RIS database.
The IS Link Software provides important features and benefits, including:
Comprehensive integration and connectivity to HIS/RIS.
Notification to CARESTREAM PACS products about events happening on the RIS.
A computerized data repository for textual clinical results, patients, visits, and order information.
The IS Link Software is the gateway that links the CARESTREAM PACS products with hospital/radiology information systems (HIS/RIS) through an HL-7 interface. Specifically, the IS Link Software provides the system with patient demographic, visit, and order information. It also lets the system retrieve clinical reports. The IS Link Software runs as a software module within the system.
To fully utilize the IS Link Software and its functionality, you must understand its specific terminology, which includes the following key concepts:
|
Concept |
Description |
|
IS Link Software |
The IS Link Software is comprised of the Listener process and the Converter process. |
|
IS Link Database |
The IS Link Software receives and translates HL-7 data from the RIS or HIS. The translated data is then stored within the IS Link database. |
|
Listener Process |
The Listener process waits for HL-7 messages from the RIS and places them in the message queue without interpretation. This lets the system keep messages intact for later processing if the Converter process is down for any reason. |
|
Converter Process |
The Converter process takes messages from the queue and parses them to the database tables. When message processing is complete, the Converter sends the event notifications to the relevant enabled notification queues. |
|
Pre-Fetch Process |
The CARESTREAM PACS system uses the IS Link Software as a trigger for the daily Pre-Fetch processes. NOTE: See Pre-Fetch for a detailed description of the Pre-Fetch process. |
|
RIS-PACS Synchronization Process |
The CARESTREAM PACS system uses the IS Link Software as a trigger for the RIS-PACS synchronization process. NOTE: For more information, see RIS-PACS Synchronization. |
|
Report Presentation |
The IS Link Software lets the end user, such as a radiologist, view clinical reports using the PACS Client. The report information is stored in the IS Link database, and can be retrieved as required. NOTE: See the user documentation for the CARESTREAM PACS Client for more information. |