New Web Applications Provide Greater Functionality to Health IT Systems

New web applications give health information technology (IT) software providers plug-in portals that help expedite and automate tasks such as patient and resource scheduling, and image and information distribution.

Merge Healthcare (Milwaukee, WI, USA), a medical imaging solutions provider, has launched two new web applications, Cedara WebAccess and Cedara WebScheduler, available through its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) division. Merge OEM customers have begun to incorporate this technology to bring improved picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) to their own hospital and imaging center customers.

Cedara WebAccess is a thin client Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) viewer, providing a new technology for web distribution of radiology images and reports to the referring physician community and beyond. Because of its sophisticated processing technology, users access images and information without waiting for any application or file to download. It also reduces IT support for tasks such as upgrading existing workstations, managing enterprise-wide installation, or performing ongoing configuration changes. Solutions using Cedara WebAccess can also reduce the costs and logistical issues associated with CD burning, film printing, and distribution. Cedara WebAccess was designed to be PACS, electronic medical record (EMR), and hospital information technology (HIT) solution agnostic. This underlying technology is in use in the recently announced Merge Mobile application, giving the same distribution capabilities on an Apple (Cupertino, CA, USA) iPhone or iPod touch.

The new Cedara WebScheduler provides a cost-effective system for health IT application developers that want to add centralized capabilities for managing and scheduling imaging resources. Standard features include patient scheduling, dashboard monitoring of room utilization, and modality worklist management to minimize data entry redundancy and errors. Moreover, the application can be customized per site to account for a customer's modalities, procedures, and referring physicians.

One Merge OEM client, Cassling, has already begun integrating these applications into its PACS solution for healthcare organizations in the Midwest. "Cassling is proud to support Merge OEM's leading-edge technology,” said Mike Cassling, president and CEO of Cassling. "As one of the first users and collaborators on the project, we believe WebAccess and WebScheduler address a growing need for affordable, efficient healthcare technology.”

Cedara WebAccess and WebScheduler were presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting in November 2008 in Chicago, IL, USA.

Merge Healthcare's solutions help solve mission-critical issues for radiology practices, outpatient imaging centers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and device manufacturers worldwide.

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