System and method for integrating ancillary data in DICOM image files

Abstract

The invention comprises a system and method for integrating electronic patient information with an electronic medical image file. In one embodiment, at least one information processor is provided that is operable to communicate over a communication network. A database is provided on the at least one information processor, wherein the database is operable to store electronic patient information representing a plurality of patients, and further to store respective image files representing patient medical examinations. A receiving module is preferably included that receives an image file representing a patient medical examination. The image file is preferably formatted with a respective filename. Also, a converting module is provided that is operable to convert the image file to be associated with at least one tag, wherein the converting module refers to at least the respective filename to associate the image with the tag(s), and further the tag(s) are associated with the image file to associate the medical image record with the electronic patient information for a respective patient. A storage module is further operable to store the converted image to the database. Preferably, the modules operate substantially without human intervention.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.