Methods, computer program products, apparatuses, and systems to accommodate decision support and reference case management for diagnostic imaging

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided to accommodate decision support and reference case management for diagnostic imaging. An apparatus may include a processor configured to receive a request for an image from a client device. The processor may be further configured to retrieve a source image corresponding to the requested image from a memory. The processor may additionally be configured to process the source image to generate a second image having a greater resolution than the source image. The processor may also be configured to provide the second image to the client device to facilitate viewing and manipulation of the second image at the client device. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.

1 . A method comprising:
 receiving an electronic message including a medical image from a picture archiving and communication system client;   parsing a subject line and body of the electronic message to extract text data included in the electronic message;   parsing a header associated with the medical image to determine one or more properties of the medical image;   generating a medical case file comprising the medical image; and   populating one or more fields of the medical case file with the extracted text data and the determined properties.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the one or more fields of the medical case file define one or more of diagnostic data, medical image modality data, or patient demographic data. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the text data of the electronic message is at least partially formatted in a markup language, wherein one or more segments of the text data are delimited by one or more tags defining fields of the medical case file with which each delimited segment of text data is associated; and wherein:
 parsing the body of the electronic message comprises parsing the body of the electronic message to extract the one or more delimited segments of text data and to determine a field of the medical case file with which each extracted delimited segment of text data is associated based at least in part upon the tags that delimit each segment of text data; and   populating one or more fields of the medical case file comprises populating each field with which an extracted delimited segment of text data is associated with the associated segment of text data.   
     
     
         4 . A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored therein, the computer-readable program instructions comprising:
 a program instruction for receiving an electronic message including a medical image from a picture archiving and communication system client;   a program instruction for parsing a subject line and body of the electronic message to extract text data included in the electronic message;   a program instruction for parsing a header associated with the medical image to determine one or more properties of the medical image;   a program instruction for generating a medical case file comprising the medical image; and   a program instruction for populating one or more fields of the medical case file with the extracted text data and the determined properties.   
     
     
         5 . A computer program product according to  claim 4 , wherein the one or more fields of the medical case file define one or more of diagnostic data, medical image modality data, or patient demographic data. 
     
     
         6 . A computer program product according to  claim 4 , wherein the text data of the electronic message is at least partially formatted in a markup language, wherein one or more segments of the text data are delimited by one or more tags defining fields of the medical case file with which each delimited segment of text data is associated; and wherein:
 the program instruction for parsing the body of the electronic message comprises instructions for parsing the body of the electronic message to extract the one or more delimited segments of text data and to determine a field of the medical case file with which each extracted delimited segment of text data is associated based at least in part upon the tags that delimit each segment of text data; and   the program instruction for populating one or more fields of the medical case file comprises instructions for populating each field with which an extracted delimited segment of text data is associated with the associated segment of text data.   
     
     
         7 . An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:
 receive an electronic message including a medical image from a picture archiving and communication system client;   parse a subject line and body of the electronic message to extract text data included in the electronic message;   parse a header associated with the medical image to determine one or more properties of the medical image;   generate a medical case file comprising the medical image; and   populate one or more fields of the medical case file with the extracted text data and the determined properties.   
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the one or more fields of the medical case file define one or more of diagnostic data, medical image modality data, or patient demographic data. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the text data of the electronic message is at least partially formatted in a markup language, wherein one or more segments of the text data are delimited by one or more tags defining fields of the medical case file with which each delimited segment of text data is associated; and wherein the processor is configured to:
 parse the body of the electronic message by parsing the body of the electronic message to extract the one or more delimited segments of text data and to determine a field of the medical case file with which each extracted delimited segment of text data is associated based at least in part upon the tags that delimit each segment of text data; and   
       populate one or more fields of the medical case file by populating each field with which an extracted delimited segment of text data is associated with the associated segment of text data.