Bridging the gap: Linking a legacy hospital information system with a filmless radiology picture archiving and communications system within a nonhomogeneous environment

A health level 7 (HL7)-conformant data link to exchange information between the mainframe hospital information system (HIS) of our hospital and our ho me-grown picture archiving and communications system (PACS) is a result of a collaborative effort between the HIS department and the PACS development team. Based of the ability to link examination requisitions and image studi es, applications have been generated to optimise workflow and to improve th e reliability and distribution of radiology information. Now, images can be routed to individual radiologists and clinicians; worklists facilitate rad iology reporting; applications exist to create, edit, and view reports and images via the internet; and automated quality control now limits the incid ence of "lost" cases and errors in image routing. By following the HL7 stan dard to develop the gateway to the legacy system, the development of a radi ology information system for booking, reading, reporting, and billing remai ns universal and does not preclude the option to integrate off-the-shelf co mmercial products. Copyright (C) 1999 by W.B. Saunders Company.