New IT systems and image exchange standards may yet get more images where they need to be. And not a minute too soon. Hospitals continue to contend with the clinical and operational challenges associated with loading and cueing CDs, which include patient care delays and stalled workflow. Denver Health Medical Center, an acute care hospital with 477 licensed beds that houses Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center, an academic Level I Trauma Center, has developed a multi-pronged system to streamline the CD import process. The solution encompasses DICOM morphing, auto-routing and a CD import kiosk and has sped patient care and cut the CD failure rate to zero.

Pocket-sized powerhouses took center stage last week when the FDA cleared a pair of potentially disruptive technologies: Mobisantes MobiUS smartphone-based ultrasound and MIM Softwares Mobile MIM, a radiology application that allows physicians to view medical images on the iPhone and iPad. Both promise to extend the reach of medical imaging. However, such diffusion of imaging may be a mixed blessing for radiologists.

CareFusion has agreed to sell its CareFusion International Surgical Products distribution business to Medline Industries for approximately $130 million. 

Xerox has acquired the assets of WaterWare Internet Services, in a move that will boost Xerox's clinical documentation and practice management for healthcare professionals.

As more and more healthcare enterprises deploy and expand EMRs, the issue of clinical image access within the EMR presents itself. For radiologists and referring physicians alike, image access in the EMR can be a game-changerboosting clinical collaboration, enhancing patient education and care and shaving minutes from patient encounters throughout the day.

The surge in imaging study volume and pursuit of quality has yielded both tremendous benefits and contentious repercussions for patients, providers and payors. But behind the scenes, IT leadership is working on a cardinal issuewhere to store the ballooning number of studies and allow quick recall when needed.

Naval Medical Center San Diego has purchased a radiology and cardiology PACS and Clinical Data Archive from Carestream Health.

Medtronic has completed the acquisition of privately held Ardian, a developer of catheter-based therapies to treat hypertension and related conditions.