Technology is an important element used to improve medical practice workflows. There are hundreds of different solutions intended to streamline the patient and physician experience. One of those solutions is the cloud PACS, which makes medical images accessible across devices, operating systems, and locations. This is a great solution for centralized image storage and easy access to critical medical images. However, medical practices often need access to more than just one solution to holistically manage patient care, which is where integrations come into play. 

First things first, what are integrations?  

Integrations connect different systems and applications to share information and simplify workflows. Integrations between applications on your computer allow you to seamlessly share data and information with different platforms that otherwise would not communicate with each other.

Needless to say, there are many different types of integrations, especially as it relates to healthcare technology. Purview can connect to an open API (application programming interface) if one exists in the vendor software that you are trying to connect to. If an API does not exist, Purview has the ability to work directly with the vendor to establish a custom connection (but this can be more complex than it sounds).

Your practice might use an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, Radiology Information System (RIS), a Practice Management System, and/or a PACS solution. Each solution does its part in keeping your practice running smoothly but despite the efforts of recent healthcare initiatives such as the HITECH Act, they most likely do not communicate with each other effectively. Integrating your solutions is possible, but there are a lot of things to consider before taking on that project. 

Read on to learn the types of integrations we offer for integrating your software interfaces with Purview.    

EMR/ EHR Integration 

What is it? 

An EHR integration, in the simplest terms, allows Purview solutions to talk to your EHR system. This communication can be bidirectional (Purview to the EHR and vice versa) or it can be unidirectional (Purview communicates with the EHR only or the EHR communicates with Purview only). 

The integration can simplify the process of transferring reports, images, study notes, or patient information from one software to the other, eliminating the need to log in through different platforms. 

The most common EHR integrations Purview works with are unidirectional integrations. Purview typically sends an HL7 message to the EHR with a link to imaging studies, allowing physicians to view their images in Purview directly from their EHR. Purview also uses a similar method to send reports created from your Purview worklist back into your EHR.   

Cost

Determining the cost of an EHR integration takes into account the additional labor hours and the data center resources required to set up the connection between PACS, Modality, and EHR. 

The type of integration (bidirectional or unidirectional) and the actual EHR system with which you are seeking to integrate will determine the amount of time it takes to complete the project. That said, most projects start at a one-time $5,000 integration fee with a $250/month license and support cost. The Purview team is more than happy to talk with each client about the scope of the project to determine the costs. 

Modality Worklist Integration

What is it? 

Modality Worklist (MWL) integrations are much more straightforward. MWL shares the patient demographic information stored in the EHR system with the modalities themselves. Setting up an MWL integration can dramatically streamline the workflow of institutions that see a high volume of imaging studies, especially those using multiple modalities, like imaging centers and hospitals. Reducing the number of times a patient’s demographic information has to be typed up can also drastically reduce the likelihood of typos and misinformation.  

Cost

As with EHR integrations, the cost is determined by the additional labor required to set up the integration and the data center resources required. 

Depending on the availability and involvement of your EHR and modality vendors, Purview estimates about 30 hours of labor is required to implement this integration. You can expect a one-time implementation fee starting at $1,800 and an annual recurring license and support fee for the first modality starting at $250/month and $100/month for each additional modality.

Custom Integration 

Our Purview team prides itself on streamlining medical workflows. Though we cannot promise all integrations are compatible with our solution, we are always willing to learn about your workflows and explore the possibilities. If you have other systems you want to integrate or have workflow improvements that you would like to explore we are more than happy to investigate those options with you. We will perform custom integrations with other systems at our then-current hourly project rate and offer support and maintenance on an ongoing basis.