Orthopedic Practice
Orthopedic clinics seek to present a professional and efficient image to their clients. The Opal-RAD solution for these clinics allows the patients' x-rays to be quickly imported into the system, available for diagnosis much quicker than film. Thus the system also affords the clinic faster reads, reduced or eliminated film costs, and eliminates the need for physical storage space to archive film.
Specialized tools for the Opal-RAD Orex QC Workstation include a proprietary "Unsharp Masking" image refinement tool that enhances the quality of the Orex images. Also included are measurement and annotation tools, CD-burning archive capability, and DICOM sending features.
Acquire Station
The key element in this setup is the Opal-RAD Orex QC Acquire Workstation. This workstation provides the same high-end diagnostic tools available in the full Opal-RAD Viewer, but is tailored specifically for working with CR images acquired from an Orex PcCR scanner or the Howtek film scanner. The workstation also includes the ability to send DICOM exams out.
Server
Typically you will want to store exams on a location other than the main acquire workstation. Opal-RAD Server provides storage for the acquired exams and adds new options to your system such as automatic exam routing, Telerad (see below) and Web Server capability (see below.)
Web Server
An additional component to the Server, Web Server allows remote physicians to view exams over the Internet. This access is ideally suited to referring physicians.
Telerad
This component to Server connects doctors "on the go" to the central PACS system, allowing diagnostic reads from remote locations. Exams are transferred over virtually any connection method, including T1, DSL, ISDN, and even telephone line.
Even small clinics are subject to new federal regulation regarding secondary archival of medical images. For security and availability considerations, especially arising from these recent federal regulations, Viztek offers an optional offsite secure storage service. This component is attached to the standalone acquire workstation (or Opal-RAD Server, if present) and automatically sends secondary copies of the clinic's exams to a secure location at Viztek. Should this secondary backup ever be needed, exams are available immediately, minimizing downtime and assuring the clinic's continued workflow.
