Microsoft Amalga RIS/PACS

Amalga RIS/PACS will be the new member of Microsoft Amalga. Amalga family members include Amalga HIS, Amalga Life Sciences, and Amalga Unified Intelligence System. Another healthcare solution from Microsoft is the Microsoft HealthVault.

Even though Microsoft has always been a pure IT solutions company. Microsoft is relatively new to this field, but that doesn't realy mean a bad thing. Inovation always comes as new !

Recently, news said that Microsoft is finally come up with the PACS/RIS through the Amalga PACS/RIS. Frankly speaking, Microsoft has shaped the way IT solutions outreach to many people and organizations with their verity IT solutions including their MS-Windows OS. So, will Amalga PACS/RIS change the future of Imaging informatics too?

Amalga HIS: Image enabled technology

I have divided my anticipation to the future of this product as positive and negative, advantages and disadvantages to under line such product of such key player in IT industry.

I have put some of these points in humorous way, but that doesn’t mean that Microsoft is a clown! Staytoon and watch for this product !!

“ What will happen when Amalga PACS/RIS is released? ”

Positives · PACS/RIS will be everywhere. Small hospitals off course will get a hacked copy. Just don’t run the genuinity check utility if you have the auto-update running! · PACS/RIS administration will be piece of cake (easy). Authentication using active directory, alerts using process monitors, statistics using excel templates, · PACS/RIS will be easily customizable. Field boxes, check boxes, drop down menus, and macros.. all possible using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). · Every thing can be done by drag and drop. To reject an image just drop it to the Recycle Bin icon and then you can always change your mind and restore it back. · Integration with other Microsoft products. Lots of smart tags, Web Based using IIS v.7.5,  teaching archive using Sharepoint server. · DB migration is a piece of cake using MS-SQL 2008 migration tools. Just match the field on the UI and click the “GO” Button. · Need help for sophisticated problems? Just login to http://msdn.microsoft.com. · Doctors will be able to do tele-radiology through NetMeeting or Ms-Messenger. With emoticons off course. · You will always blame one company for any problem in the system. Thank you Vin. !! since OS, DB, and Application are from one provider. · First level technical support will be done through a help desk in Banglore, India. If that doesn’t help a service engineer from a service partner will visit the site in just 72 hours. · You can download your frequent service patches from http://update.amalga.com

Negatives · A beta version will be released free of charge and price for the official release will be 50% less than competitor’s. · At the day of the official release, hospital imaging IT personnel will stand in long lines to get their copy. · First Service Patch (SP1) will be released only one week from the release day. · Hospitals have to do a lot of System Reboot. · If problem persists, just format and reload your PACS/RIS.. What about the database ? Don’t worry you will get easy DB recovery tools ! · malware (virus) programmers  will target the new product and lots of them will be coded to replace medical images with personal photos like those of The Simpson’s cartoon characters…