System and method for producing medical image data onto portable digital recording media

• US 8,483,550 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DatCard Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DatCard Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Wright, Ken, LaGuardia, Chet
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/942,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/344
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2104 for one or a few pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries

Abstract

This application discloses a system for recording medical image data for production on a portable digital recording medium such as CDs and DVDs. This system includes a receiving module, a processing module and an output module, with viewing program for viewing medical image data stored on the portable digital recording medium. It also discloses a method of storing medical image data on a portable digital recording medium, including the steps of receiving the medical image data, processing the data and storing the data on the portable digital recording medium, with a viewing program for viewing medical image data stored on the portable digital recording medium. It further discloses a method of selecting medical image data for recording on a portable digital recording medium, including the steps of connecting a browsing terminal to a computer database that stores the medical image data, selecting a first set of the medical image data from the computer database, and recording the selected first set of medical image data on the portable digital medium, with a viewing program for viewing the medical image data stored on the portable digital recording medium. It also discloses the method and system of retrieving medical image data that are related to the received/selected original medical image data, and recording the original and related medical image data on a portable digital recording medium.

Claims

1. A method for selecting and recording medical image data onto a data storage medium, the method comprising:

retrieving medical image data generated by one or more imaging modalities, the medical image data being formatted in a standard medical imaging format used by computers configured for viewing medical images;

storing the medical image data in a data store;

receiving a user selection via a user interface, the user selection defining selected medical image data;

in response to receiving the user selection, searching for related medical data that is related to the selected medical image data, based on the user selection; and

recording, by a robotic disc burner, the selected medical image data, a viewing program, and at least a portion of the related medical data onto a portable non-transitory data storage medium, the selected medical image data being recorded on the data storage medium in the standard medical imaging format, and the viewing program being configured to allow viewing of medical image data stored on the data storage medium on widely accessible computers not specifically configured with standard medical imaging software for viewing of medical images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more imaging modalities comprises an image scanner.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the related medical data comprises images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the related medical data comprises one or more medical reports.

5. A method comprising:

providing an interface configured to receive an identification of a patient by a user, wherein the interface is accessible by a plurality of browsing terminals;

receiving the identification of the patient from a first browsing terminal associated with the user;

finding related data of the patient, wherein finding related data of the patient comprises querying at least a plurality of data stores for medical imaging data;

receiving medical image data related to the patient from one or more data stores in the plurality of data stores, the received medical image data related to the patient being formatted in a standard medical imaging format;

storing the received medical image data related to the patient in a local data store local to the robotic disc burning system; and

recording, by a robotic disc burner, at least a portion of the received medical image data related to the patient from the one or more data stores in the plurality of data stores and a viewing program onto a portable non-transitory digital storage medium, the portion of the received medical image data related to the patient being recorded on the digital storage medium in the standard medical imaging format, and the viewing program being configured to allow viewing of the portion of the received medical image data stored on the data storage medium on widely accessible computers not specifically configured with standard medical imaging software for viewing of medical images.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of data stores comprises at least two types of data stores selected from the group of PACS, modalities an application servers.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the identification of the patient from the first browsing terminal associated with the user comprises receiving a selection of an exam associated with the patient.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising producing a label on the portable non-transitory digital recording medium without manual application of the label onto the portable non-transitory digital recording medium.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting to audit storage audit data that comprises at least a date associated with the recording and a patient associated with the recording.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more browsing terminals comprises a plurality of browsing terminals.

11. A robotic disc burning system comprising:

a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, the computing system comprising a communication interface configured to communicate with a plurality of browsing terminals browsing terminals over a TCP/IP network, wherein the communication interface is accessible by instructions sent from a remote web browsing program;

a user request module configurable to receive from a first browsing terminal of the one or more browsing terminals a request for data related to a patient;

an identification module configurable to identify, based on the request for data, exam data comprising medical imaging data generated by an imaging modality and formatted in a standard medical imaging format, and identify related exam data related to the exam data;

a data interface configured to receive at least some of the identified medical imaging data formatted in the standard medical imaging format and receive at least some of the related exam data;

a data store configurable to store at least some of the received medical imaging data formatted in the standard medical imaging format and store at least some of the received related exam data;

a recording module configurable to record at least the following onto a portable non-transitory digital recording medium that is removable from the robotic disc burning system

at least some of the received medical imaging data in the standard medical imaging format,

at least some of the received related exam data, and

a viewing program that is configured to allow viewing of at least some of the medical imaging data that is recorded onto the digital recording medium by a general purpose computer that is not specifically configured with medical imaging software for viewing of medical imaging data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the data comprising medical imaging data comprises data generated by an image scanner.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one storage module comprises at least one PACS.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising an authorization module configured to prevent unauthorized recording.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the authorization module is configured to receive a username and password.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the exam data comprises one or more DICOM images.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the related exam data does not comprise a DICOM image.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification module is configurable to perform a search to identify, based on the request for data, exam data comprising medical imaging data generated by an imaging modality and formatted in a standard medical imaging format, and related exam data related to the exam data.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification module is configurable to identify, on a plurality of PACS, based on the request for data, exam data comprising medical imaging data generated by an imaging modality and formatted in a standard medical imaging format, and related exam data related to the exam data.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the related exam data comprises medical imaging data formatted in a standard medical imaging format.

28. The system of claim 11, wherein the related exam data comprises data not formatted in a standard medical imaging format.

29. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification module is configurable to identify, on a plurality of data stores, based on the request for data, exam data comprising medical imaging data generated by an imaging modality and formatted in a standard medical imaging format, and related exam data related to the exam data.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein a first data store from the plurality of data stores is associated with a second data store from the plurality of data stores.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the identification module is configurable to identify related exam data on the second data store from the plurality of data stores in response to identifying exam data on the associated first data store from the plurality of data stores.

21. A robotic disc burning system comprising:

a computing system comprising one or more computer devices, the computing system comprising a communication interface configured to communicate with one or more browsing terminals over a TCP/IP network, wherein the communication interface is accessible by instructions sent from a remote web browsing program;

a user request module configurable to receive from a first browsing terminal of the one ore more browsing terminals an identification of a patient by a user, the identification of the patient originating with the remote web browsing program;

a query module configurable to find related data of the patient by querying a plurality of data stores for medical imaging data associated with the patient;

a data interface configured to receive related data of the patient from one or more data stores in the plurality of data stores queried by the query module, the related data of the patient comprising medical imaging data formatted in a standard medical imaging format;

a local data store configurable to store at least some of the received related data of the patient;

a recording module configurable to record at least the following onto a portable non-transitory digital recording medium that is removable from the robotic disc burning system;

at least some of the received related data of the patient from the one or more data stores in the plurality of data stores queried by the query module, and

a viewing program that is configured to allow viewing of at least some of the related data of the patient that is recorded onto the non-transitory digital recording medium by a general purpose computer that is not specifically configured with medical imaging software for viewing of medical imaging data.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a labeling module configurable to produce a label on the portable non-transitory digital recording medium without manual application of the label onto the portable non-transitory digital recording medium.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising an audit module configurable to transmit to audit storage audit data that comprises at least a date associated with the recording and a patient associated with the recording.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of data stores comprises a plurality of PACS.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of data stores comprises at least one PACS and at least one application server database.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of data stores comprises at least one PACS and at least one modality.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising an authorization module configured to prevent unauthorized recording.