Message-based connectivity manager

• US 20060173719A1
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agfa Healthcare Corporation (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Agfa Corporation (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Inventors: Kaschinske, Timothy J., Seifert, Paul A., Kuhn, Alan E.
• Application Number:
  US11/045,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20060173719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A connectivity manager for use in a medical information system. The medical information system can include a facility information system, a medical imaging ordering system, and a picture archiving system, and the connectivity manager can be configured to use message-based communications to receive messages from the medical imaging ordering system, store reports in the picture archiving system, and retrieve reports from the picture archiving system.

Claims

1. A connectivity manager for use in a medical information system, the medical information system including a facility information system, a medical imaging ordering system, and a picture archiving system, the connectivity manager configured to use message-based communications to receive messages from the medical imaging ordering system, store reports in the picture archiving system, and retrieve reports from the picture archiving system.

2. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive messages from the medical imaging ordering system that include procedure results.

3. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 2, further configured to generate a report based on the procedure results.

4. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 3, further configured to receive additional data from a data store.

5. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 4, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to generate a report based on the procedure results and the additional data.

6. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, further configured to retrieve reports from the medical imaging ordering system.

7. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to retrieve reports from the medical imaging ordering system when the medical imaging ordering system is a queriable device.

8. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive messages from the medical imaging ordering system that include updated data.

9. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 8, further configured to update reports stored in the picture archiving system using message-based communications based on the updated data.

10. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, further configured to receive messages from a workstation.

11. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive messages from a workstation that include report queries.

12. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 11, further configured to forward retrieved reports to the workstation.

13. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, further configured to receive messages from the facility information system using message-based communications.

14. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 13, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive messages from the facility information system that include updated data.

15. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 14, further configured to update reports stored in the picture archiving system using message-based communications based on the updated data.

16. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, further configured to receive messages from a gateway.

17. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 16, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive messages from that gateway that include messages transmitted from a medical imaging ordering system.

18. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, further configured to receive messages from a viewing application interacting with a stored procedures database.

19. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 18, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive message from the viewing application that includes report queries.

20. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 19, further configured to forward retrieved reports to the viewing application.

21. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 1, further configured to transmit worklists to one or more imaging modalities.

22. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 21, wherein the one or more imaging modalities includes at least one of a computer-aided tomography modality, an ultrasound modality, a magnetic resonance imaging modality, and an X-ray modality.

23. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 21, further configured to receive status messages from the one or more imaging modalities.

24. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 23, further configured to forward status messages received from the one or more imaging modalities to at least one of the medical information system and the facility information system.

25. A method of storing a first medical report in a medical information system, the medical information system including a medical imaging ordering system, a connectivity manager, and a picture archiving system, the method comprising:

transmitting the first medical report in a first message from the medical imaging ordering system to the connectivity manager;

generating a second message with a second medical report based on the first medical report, transmitting the second message to the picture archiving system from the connectivity manager without internally storing the first report or the second report, and storing the second medical report in the picture archiving system when the medical imaging ordering system is not a queriable device; and

ignoring the first message without internally storing the first report when the medical imaging ordering system is a queriable device.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising receiving additional data from a data store when the medical imaging ordering system is not a queriable device.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the second medical report is also based on the additional data received from the data store.

28. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the first message includes a health level 7 formatted message.

29. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the second report includes an extensible markup language formatted report.

30. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the second message includes a digital imaging and communications in medicine formatted message.

31. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein storing the second medical report in the picture archiving system includes storing the second medical report in a structured query language table.

32. A method of retrieving a medical report in a medical information system, the medical information system including a medical imaging ordering system, a connectivity manager, and a picture archiving system, the method comprising:

transmitting a report query for a report to the connectivity manager;

generating a first query, transmitting the first query from the connectivity manager to the medical imaging ordering system, and retrieving the report from the medical imaging ordering system when the medical imaging ordering system is a queriable device; and

generating a second query, transmitting the second query from the connectivity manager to the picture archiving system, and retrieving the report from the picture archiving system when the medical imaging ordering system is not a queriable device.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32, wherein receiving a report query for a report includes receiving a report query from a workstation.

34. A method as claimed in claim 32, further comprising generating a displayable report from the report.

35. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the displayable report includes a hypertext markup language formatted report.

36. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the displayable report includes an extensible markup language formatted report.

37. A method as claimed in claim 32, further comprising the connectivity manager generating a query interface on a workstation.

38. A method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the query interface includes an active server page interface.

39. A method as claimed in claim 37, wherein receiving the report query for a report includes receiving the report query from a view application interacting with a stored procedures database.

40. A connectivity manager for use in a medical information system, the medical information system including a medical imaging ordering system and a picture archiving system, the connectivity manager comprising:

an input device configured to interact with the medical imaging ordering system and to convert a message from a first format to a second format;

a business logic server configured to interact with the input device and to generate a report;

a data store configured to interact with the business logic server;

a report storing interface configured to interact with the business logic server and the picture archiving system;

a report browser interface configured to interact with the business logic server; and

a report status interface configured to interact with the business logic server.

41. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the input device is further configured to interact with the business logic server.

42. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 41, wherein the input device is further configured to convert a health level 7 formatted message to an attribute/value pairs formatted message.

43. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 42, wherein the input device is further configured to forward the attribute/value pairs formatted message to the business logic server.

44. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 43, wherein the input device is further configured to convert an attribute/values pairs formatted message to a health level 7 formatted message.

45. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 44, wherein the input device is further configured to forward the health level 7 formatted message to the medical imaging ordering system.

46. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the business logic server is further configured to obtain additional data from the data store.

47. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 46, wherein the business logic server is configured to generate a report based on one or more messages received from the input device and the additional data.

48. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the business logic server is further configured to forward the report to the report storing interface.

49. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the business logic server is further configured to generate a report query based on one or more messages received from the input device.

50. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 49, wherein the business logic server is further configured to forward a report query to the report storing interface.

51. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the business logic server is further configured to forward a report status of the report to the report status interface.

52. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the data store is further configured to interact with a patient database.

53. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 52, wherein the data store is configured to interact with the patient database using an open database connectivity access language.

54. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the report storing interface is configured to store a report transmitted from the business logic server in the picture archiving system.

55. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the report storing interface is configured to retrieve a report stored to the picture archiving system specified in a report query transmitted from the business logic server.

56. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the report browser interface is further configured to interact with a workstation.

57. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 56, wherein the report browser interface is further configured to receive a report query from the workstation.

58. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 57, wherein the report browser interface is further configured to display a report on the workstation.

59. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 58, wherein the report browser is configured to display a hypertext markup language formatted report.

60. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the report status interface is further configured to store a report status to the picture archiving system.

61. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 40, wherein the report status interface is further configured to interact with an adapter.

62. A connectivity manager for use in a medical information system, the medical information system including a queriable medical imaging ordering system and a picture archiving system, the connectivity manager configured to

receive a first message including a first report from the medical imaging ordering system, and, if the first report includes a first status not equal to a predetermined status, to generate a second report based on the first report and to transmit a second message including a second report to the picture archiving system.

63. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 62, further configured to obtain additional data from a data store if the first status is not equal to the predetermined status.

64. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 63, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to generate the second report based on the first report and the additional data if the first status is not equal to the predetermined status.

65. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 62, wherein the first predetermined status includes a FINAL status.

66. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 62, wherein the first message includes a health level 7 formatted message.

67. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 62, wherein the second message includes a digital imaging and communications in medicine formatted message.

68. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 62, wherein the second report includes an extensible markup language formatted report.

69. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 62, further configured to receive a report query for a second report.

70. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 69, wherein the second report includes a second status.

71. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 70, further configured to retrieve the medical report from the queriable medical imaging ordering system when the second status is equal to the predetermined status.

72. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 70, further configured to retrieve the medical report from the picture archiving system when the second status is not equal to the predetermined status.

73. A connectivity manager for use in a medical information system, the medical information system including a first medical imaging ordering system and a gateway, the gateway configured to communicate with the first medical imaging ordering system using a non-public communication protocol and to communicate with the connectivity manager using a public communication protocol;

the connectivity manager configured to communicate with the gateway using a public communication protocol.

74. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 73, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to communicate with the gateway using message-based communications.

75. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 73, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to communicate with a second medical imaging ordering system.

76. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 73, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to receive data from the first medical imaging ordering system through the gateway.

77. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 76, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to generate reports based on the data.

78. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 77, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to store the reports.

79. A connectivity manager as claimed in claim 73, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to query the first medical imaging ordering system through the gateway for data if the first imaging ordering system is a queriable device.