The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has contributed to the expansion of the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) medical image exchange standard, Supplement 145, for the accommodation of pathology.

In the current era of healthcare reform, spawned by the funding made available in the HITECH Act of February's stimulus package, there has been much discussion about producing transparent and quantifiable data on the performance of various departments.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published a new standard, XR 24-2008, which focuses on primary user controls for x-ray angiography equipment.

For cardiology PACS, the explosion of cardiac-related advances across imaging modalities has created demand for expanded capabilities beyond simple image storage and distribution, providing physicians with access to patient-specific information related to images and reports within the facility or externally. Meanwhile, with this increased volume of image data, cardiologists also need to have access to more extensive patient data, such as hemodynamic monitoring, EKG and electronic medical record (EMR) information to create structured reports.

Cardiovascular information systems (CVIS) are providing the means to integrate the business of cardiology with the practice of cardiology at the point of care—with great results for managers.

With new and improved CVIS, electronic reporting and connectivity is now readily available to cardiology departments.