"It's all about workflow" is the mantra of Siemens Medical Solutions at SCAR. Siemens is touting the benefits of its SIENET Cosmos web-based RIS-PACS with integrated digital dictation and voice functions - which will be installed in 40 facilities by year's end. The internal Cosmos workflow engine, NOVIUS RIS, drives the PACS functionality, in contrast to the current paradigm that RIS drives PACS. The integrated system also means having a single desktop view of patient information and tools that make radiologists more efficient. Cosmos -- which can be scaled for an imaging center doing 50,000 procedures a year to a health system completing 1 million exams annually -- offers fast access to images via iMaxcess. The syngo user interface includes Smart Select that allows radiologists to keep their eyes on the images while moving through an array of functions.
   
Siemens also is showcasing Siemens' NOVIUS RIS Version 27 features such as order entry/registration, supply tracking, event & patient tracking, coding, paperless communication, messaging, interactive documents, online order requisition, reaction tracking, technique capture, peer review, and speech recognition/digital dictation. NOVIUS RIS supports complex, multi-entity environments of single facility, community hospital setting, Siemens said.
   
KinetDx PACS is specialized for cardiology and radiology ultrasound, with rapid image review, advanced automated reporting, intuitive ease of use, and integration into the hospital infrastructure.
   
Finally, Siemens' strategic partnership with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, a provider of ambulatory electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management software, allows the integration of workflow processes of an imaging center to both streamline scheduling and results reporting and optimize revenue and cost management.