SALT LAKE CITY - Radiology information systems developer RIS Logic of Solon, OH, is seeking to expand the flexibility of its product offerings through a software integration deal with Dutch PACS firm Applicare. The agreement was announced at this week’s SCAR meeting.
RIS Logic and Applicare have developed a customized module for Applicare’s RadWorks PACS software that allows two-way communication between RadWorks and RIS Logic’s RIS, also called RIS Logic. Such integration allows for smoother workflow in a radiology department because users can simply call up the RadWorks application from within RIS Logic, according to John Paganini, vice president of business development at RIS Logic.
The integration effort was aided by the fact that both companies have based their software on the Windows NT/2000 operating system, Paganini said. While RIS Logic has built interfaces to most companies that have software, which conforms to the DICOM and HL7 standards, the company is taking this integration to another level with the Applicare deal. RIS Logic is interested in pursuing similar relationships with other PACS firms, Paganini said.
RIS Logic was formed two years ago by a Cleveland-area radiologist, Dr. Frank Seidelmann, who wasn’t satisfied with the RIS products then available. He felt that no products effectively addressed the workflow of a radiology practice, from patient scheduling to report authorization and transmission. Seidelmann developed his own RIS software, which went through two years of beta testing at his clinics. RIS Logic launched the product commercially in 1999.
RIS Logic is heavily based on Windows software, Paganini said, with Windows 98 or 2000 workstations, an NT/2000 back end, and SQL Server 7.0 database. Using Windows enables RIS Logic to offer a flexible system in which much of the complexity is shielded from the user.
RIS Logic’s target market consists primarily of imaging centers, many of which have yet to purchase their first RIS. These facilities find RIS Logic’s system attractive because it can handle all of their business operations, including billing, Paganini said. The imaging center market should continue to prove lucrative, as RIS Logic’s research indicates that some 22% of imaging centers are evaluating a RIS purchase, as compared with 20% of small hospitals.
RIS Logic believes that its software can help these centers compete by helping them get reports to their customers -- referring physicians -- more quickly.
"Some of these small centers are run by the radiologist or the business manager," Paganini said. "If they have a tool that gets a faster report to the referring physician, that's a good thing."
By Brian CaseyAuntMinnie.com staff writer
May 5, 2001
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