Image workflow enterprise architecture of the Clarian Health System

Recently, technological advances in digital imaging modalities and high-speed networks have enabled physicians to store digital medical images and integrate them with the patient's electronic medical record for fast access by computer. This paper outlines the characteristics and design requirements of an image workflow management system (IWFMS) in a large-scale hospital environment. In this paper, we present a four-tiered enterprise architecture of an IWFMS for supporting the streamlining, automating and monitoring of the flow of the medical images in a large-scale consortium of hospitals known as the Clarian Health System in Indianapolis, IN, USA. The first tier presents the graphical user interface (GUI) that enables users to view and interact with the workflow engine. The second tier implements the business model that depends on the work requirements within the different units of the hospital system. The third tier implements the business logic and automates tasks that support image flows. The fourth tier is the back-end database that is used to store and retrieve workflow data. The components in each tier have been designed and implemented as a set of CORBA objects that provide seamless integration of the image flows in the Clarian Health System.