Deploying IMPAX as a data center with IMPAX spokes

One IMPAX cluster can be set up as central repository (or hub) for archiving studies from several individual IMPAX clusters, called spokes. This way different sites can share studies while not each having to maintain an extensive archive on-site. The hub IMPAX cluster acts as a data center for the spokes.

Single cluster

Multiple clusters

1. A study is scheduled for a patient and the details are recorded in the RIS. The study is scheduled well in advance of the actual appointment, but the order may not be recorded in the RIS until the day before the exam.

2. The RIS sends the order to the IMPAX Connectivity Manager, using an HL7 notification.

3. The night before the scheduled study, the Connectivity Manager sends IMPAX notification of the study and IMPAX automatically searches for and retrieves relevant priors images from the local archive. This process is called prefetching.

   If the facility is part of an enterprise or a multiple IMPAX cluster installation, IMPAX also searches for relevant priors in the long-term or central storage data center.

4. The patient arrives and needs to be admitted to the facility to have a study performed. The system checks the ADT to see if a record already exists for the patient. If so, that patient ID is used; otherwise, a new patient ID is generated.

5. The study is performed on a modality and is sent to the local IMPAX cluster.

6. HIS verification is performed on the patient demographics of the study.

7. When IMPAX receives the study, it checks to see if it needs to get relevant priors from the local archive and fetches them. This process is called autofetching. It generally occurs when prefetching cannot be performed or when studies have been added to the archive.

   In an enterprise installation, the search includes priors stored in the data center.

8. When the radiologist completes the report, it is sent to the Connectivity Manager.

9. The Connectivity Manager sends the report to the Application Server, where it is forwarded to the IMPAX archive for storage. If the RIS is an IMPAX RIS or a queryable one, the report is stored on the RIS.

   In an enterprise installation, the Connectivity Manager also sends the completed report to the data center’s Connectivity Manager, using HL7. At this point, the study will also be sent to the data center.