Does that picture represent an opportunity for medical device manufacturers?
McCausland: Imaging companies have long been working on standards for interoperability and transmitting information so that hospitals can connect various manufacturers. Systems by Siemens, Toshiba (Tustin, CA), and Philips (Bothell, WA) can all be integrated into a PACS, for example, through the digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) standard developed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA; Rosslyn, VA). It is not perfect from a standards standpoint, but it is a far cry from what many other device sectors have implemented. DICOM has been a long-time part of Siemens’s standards-building for the internal communication of images. There is a lot of progress being made. Having sat in on a lot of discussions going into the year 2000, I think all the Y2K issues woke up the healthcare system to the fact that IT folks have to be involved in building the entire network. They have to be responsible for the entire communication network within a healthcare insti
