Mobile Diagnostic Medical Imaging App Developed for Remote Diagnostic Viewing

A new mobile medical imaging application (App) is free to download and includes sample images to demonstrate its functionality.

MIM Software, Inc. (Cleveland, OH, USA), a global provider of medical imaging software, announced that Mobile MIM is available on the US App Store. This news follows the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) announcement on February 4, 2011, that the app had received 510(k) clearance for remote diagnostic viewing of computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, developed by Apple, Inc. (Cupertino, CA, USA).

Physicians and other medical professionals can download images to the device using MIMcloud, an Internet-based service that allows secure upload and download of encrypted medical data.

Alternatively, a MIM workstation can be used at a facility to transmit the images to Mobile MIM. In either case, Mobile MIM is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant and indicated for use only when the physician does not have access to a workstation.
"The FDA's decision to take an active interest in medical imaging apps being marketed to physicians is an important step for the future of medicine," stated Mark Cain, CTO of MIM Software. "The app gives physicians and doctors anytime, anywhere access to important scans, raising the bar for efficiency, convenience, and patient care."

The Mobile MIM App is designed as a thick client, which means the data is downloaded to the device for viewing instead of being streamed to the device from a server. To secure the protected health information, Mobile MIM provides "at rest" encryption through the use of a passcode and 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption from within the app. All transfers use secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption.

Mobile MIM features data set interaction using standard tools, such as zoom, pan, window, and level, and it displays volumetric data with multiplanar reconstruction. Mobile MIM allows the physician to measure distance and intensity values, annotate, and display regions of interest.

Regarding the availability of Mobile MIM only on Apple devices, Mr. Cain commented, "The iOS platform has proven itself with its combination of massive market penetration and a lineup of devices that are both tightly controlled in their manufacture and consistent in their characteristics. Without the steady consistency and quality of Apple products, we could not have sustained the scrutiny of the prolonged regulatory process."

Mobile MIM is intended for use by medical professionals, not patients. The company plans to release a second app intended for patients, VueMe, in March. On July 5, 2010, MIM Software submitted a 513(g) request to the FDA to inquire about the classification of a patient image viewing iPhone app, and on September 3, 2010, the FDA determined that it would be a medical image storage device, a FDA class I medical device.

The Mobile MIM App is available for free from the US App Store on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (please see Related Links below).

Related Links:
MIM Software
MIMcloud
iTunes App Store