The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has received a contract from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to help expand the NIBIB -funded pilot project that created the RSNA Image Share network. The contract provides two years of support at $5.3 million and two additional option years at $5.5 million.

The pilot project was launched in 2009 to build a secure, patient-centric medical image-sharing network.

The Radiological Society of North America has received a contract from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to help expand the NIBIB -funded pilot project that created the RSNA Image Share network. The contract provides two years of support at $5.3 million and two additional option years at $5.5 million.

The pilot project was launched in 2009 to build a secure, patient-centric medical image-sharing network.

The Image Share network is based on common open-standards architecture and  enables patients to control access to their information through personal health records (PHRs) without relying on CDs. Images and reports are sent from the participating sites to an Internet-based secure image repository called the Image Clearinghouse. Patients are instructed how to establish PHR accounts and retrieve their images into those accounts. They use their PHR accounts to maintain and share their images with selected providers, creating a detailed medical history accessible through any secure Internet connection.

“A patient’s access to his or her personal medical information is critical for more patient-centric healthcare where each patient is an active participant and partner in medical decision making and in realizing high value care,” said Roderic Pettigrew, MD, director of the NIBIB. “The RSNA Image Share network provides patients with direct access to and greater control of their medical images, allowing them to electronically share important diagnostic information with their entire healthcare team."

The Image Share network currently includes five sites: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn; The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City; University of California San Francisco; University of Chicago Medical Center and University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

The network has been used by more than 2,000 patients since it began operation in 2011. More than 20 additional sites have expressed their intention to join the network and are in various stages of implementation.

By facilitating access to imaging exams for patients and physicians, the network has the potential to reduce unnecessary examinations, minimize patient radiation exposure and enable informed medical decisions. Participating sites also educate patients on establishing PHR accounts.

"The RSNA Image Share network can improve quality, safety and efficiency while engaging patients and families in their own care," said the project’s principal investigator, David S. Mendelson, MD, chief of clinical informatics at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and member of the RSNA Radiology Informatics Committee. "Our patients are successfully using the network to access and distribute their medical images."

[See also: RSNA demo offers first-hand look at image sharing.]