Radiological Physician Associates Selects Algotec PACS 
For Ambitious Installation Linking Over 15 Locations

Jeanne-Marie Phillips
HealthFlash Marketing

“Algotec’s ability to deliver high-quality images, open architecture and a convenient user interface as well as to accommodate a range of modalities was key to our decision to select their Imaginet product line for this extremely ambitious project,” comments Sam Merandi, Vice President and General Manager of Radiological Consultants Association, the practice management arm of Radiological Physician Associates, Inc.  Merandi was speaking about the selection of Algotec to provide a comprehensive PACS and teleradiology solution linking RPA’s more than 15 referring facilities throughout a 350-square-mile area.

With a staff of more than 24 radiologists, RPA is the radiology service provider for 10 hospitals and a variety of additional healthcare facilities in north central West Virginia and nearby areas of Pennsylvania. He points out that this was an ambitious project, noting that the PACS had to accommodate numerous sources of film entry and connections ranging from ISDN lines and wide-area frame-relay T-1 networks to standard POTS lines for rural areas without high -speed transmission capabilities.   A number of film-based facilities digitize images and send them to RPA via a teleradiology system.    

“Given the complex and demanding nature of the project, open architecture was essential.  Moreover, because the PACS is used to a large extent for remote primary reading, superior image quality and speed also were key.  Additionally, the installation had to accommodate not only x-ray but also multi-slice CT, MR, nuclear and fluoroscopy as well as to offer tools for sophisticated manipulation of these studies, ” said Merandi.

To find a system to meet their needs, RPA looked at a wide range of vendors, from large equipment manufacturers to smaller, more specialized firms.  “Algotec’s ImagiNet PACS was technologically advanced and offered all the features we needed.  The company also was flexible enough to tailor the product to our exact needs,” says Merandi, adding that the Algotec’s affordable price structure enabled RPA to incorporate a wide range of advanced features into the system.

RPA radiologists were immediately comfortable with Algotec’s familiar and convenient Web interface.  They also liked its strong tools for communicating with referring physicians.  These include the Med-e-Mail feature, which automatically routes reports with key thumbnail images to referring physicians.  Additionally, a unique Internet conferencing feature with group image viewing and annotation capabilities also offers significant benefits for remote diagnoses.  “And we also can use this feature for educational purposes in addition to conferences,” says Merandi.

Currently, the RPA Algotec system has five Algotec MediPrime primary reading stations.  Storage is handled by Algotec’s MediStore Fast Image Repository (FIR).  As part of its open architecture, RPA also required Algotec’s MediLink HL7 interface to connect with the Webmedx Radiology Information Service (RIS) being installed during the second phase of the technology upgrade.  Access for physicians at remote clinics and at home is afforded over the Web through MediSurf, Algotec’s advanced image and data access and display engine.

“Because of the unique demands of our practice, we have always been in the forefront of technology.  We started with teleradiology years ago when the equipment was little more than a camera on a stick.  Electronic image transfer continues to be a vital part of our business.  We feel Algotec’s system is a good fit for us today and, with its Web-based open architecture, will be able to expand with us well into the future.”

Algotec Systems Ltd. is a developer and system integrator of Web-based image management, archiving, processing and communication systems sold under the name ImagiNet. With headquarters in Israel and fully owned marketing and sales subsidiaries in the U.S., France and Italy, the company's products are installed in more than 800 healthcare institutions worldwide.  Algotec's ImagiNet family of solutions includes the ProVision - a 3D multi modality processing workstation, MediPrime - a radiology reading and reporting station, MediSurf - a Web based image and data access and display engine, MediStore - a multi media, multi tier archiving system, MediFlow - image management software, MediLink - a configurable interface to healthcare information systems, Med-e-Mail - an automatic email reporting system of key images and reports to referring physicians, and CD-Surf - a self playing, soft copy (CD) media to substitute the films  that are now given to patients and referring physicians.

Algotec, Inc. may be reached by calling 770-291-2022.  Or visit their website at www.algotec.com