Extended DICOM Features Developed for Advanced Data Migration Service

An information technology (IT) service provides accurate and affordable migration of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) and related imaging data from a legacy picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) archive to a new image management system at speeds 5 to 10 times faster than competing conventional solutions.

Laitek, Inc. (Homewood, IL, USA), a data migration company, introduced at HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) 2009 in Chicago, IL, USA, in April 2009, a range of new capabilities for its Migratek version 2 Advanced Migration Services that make the migration process more transparent and efficient than ever before.

The service has innovative features, including a fully functional DICOM exception repository for all legacy images and exams that fail migration into the destination PACS archive for a variety of technical faults. This stand-alone repository is delivered to the imaging site for convenient post-migration processing, review, and data recovery. Moreover, enhanced rule-matching tools provide increased flexibility and speed during the migration process while improving data accuracy. Laitek supports unique data routing into specialized review and work lists available in the destination PACS. These capabilities allow end users to retire the legacy PACS faster with the confidence that workflow can continue uninterrupted.

The Migratek v2 system reads, processes, and transmits medical imaging data directly from a legacy database and storage media to a destination PACS archive, eliminating time-consuming DICOM query/export tools used in conventional migration systems. As information is extracted from the existing PACS archive, any proprietary data is translated to standard DICOM 3.0 format. This includes the conversion, or morphing, of non-compliant DICOM tags into compliant formats for the new PACS.

"These capabilities are part of our continuous efforts to improve and streamline migration for our clients," said Fred M. Behlen, Ph.D., president of Laitek. "Understanding and solving real world clients' issues has resulted in dramatic growth in our business because of the value and savings we deliver to help clients meet today's economic challenges."

Mr. Behlen pointed out that faster, more accurate data transfer significantly reduces the cost of a PACS migration by minimizing the maintenance of two simultaneous PACS solutions during the migration project and reducing the overall implementation time. The savings delivered by the efficient, managed Laitek process can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Migratek supports ongoing PACS workflow throughout a migration by integrating data, wherever located, under a single virtual archive and user interface to provide immediate access to all exams from the new PACS. Advanced Migratek tools also speed migration by enhancing information integrity prior to transmission to the destination system.

Larry A. Ranahan, vice president of business development for Laitek, explained, "Most migration vendors rely on conventional DICOM query/retrieve to move image data and on time-consuming manual data clean-up, creating a significant bottleneck in the migration process. With Migratek, more accurate data arrives at the destination PACS, enabling greater automation and more rapid information transfer."

As part of its comprehensive data migration services, Laitek offers 24/7 management of data flow, user-controlled emergency migration pause features, Web-based migration reporting, and user-based administrative access control. In conjunction with data migration, the company also provides comprehensive data cleansing services. All projects are customized to address the unique demands of the PACS solution, data archive, and client operations involved.

Laitek develops computer-based instruments and medical imaging products for commercial clients and performs medical imaging research for government agencies. The company also is focused on the delivery of PACS data migration services as a direct supplier to medical facilities and as a subcontractor to replacement PACS vendors.

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