Ontario's Regional DIRs are Consolidating
In collaboration with Ontario Health, the regional DIRs – that is, SWODIN, NEODIN, and HDIRS – have recently transitioned to a single operator model. HDIRS is now a part of the new Ontario Clinical Imaging Network (OCINet).
Together, the OCINet team manages 250 million diagnostic imaging studies province-wide, on behalf of 140+ hospital corporations and 100+ independent health facilities.
Current member hospitals and independent health facilities contributing to the regional DIRs can expect a smooth transition to OCINet with uninterrupted access to the repositories, services, and teams with which they are familiar.
Existing DIR websites (including this one), phone numbers, email addresses, etc. remain fully operational until further notice.
HDIRS (Now OCINet) Facilitates Regional Diagnostic Image Sharing
Founded in 2007, HDIRS is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded by Ontario Health. HDIRS is responsible for operating one of Ontario’s three diagnostic imaging repositories. HDIRS was created by hospitals, for patients.
Since its inception, HDIRS has been focused on enabling the secure storage and retrieval of diagnostic images (e.g., x-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs and CTs) and associated patient records by authorized hospitals and independent health facilities. Sharing diagnostic images supports the movement and treatment of patients, reduces repeat scans and harmful patient radiation exposure, decreases wait times, and reduces hospital overcrowding and hallway medicine.
HDIRS’ repository stores tens of millions of images, connects 37+ corporations and 70+ independent health facilities, and serves nearly 7.5 million people in the south-central area of Ontario, which accounts for 55% of the population.
HDIRS also serves as a shared services provider and service innovation hub for its hospital members. In addition to providing IT services, HDIRS has also invested in adding clinical value, containing costs, and accelerating knowledge creation by facilitating better collaboration among health service providers.
HDIRS by the Numbers
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37+ hospitals sharing
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70+ independent health facilities sharing
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~5 million exams securely shared annually
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55% of Ontario's population served
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72+ million exams stored
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15-19% estimated reduction in repeat imaging*
*According to a study published in the Journal of Digital Imaging (“Reducing repeat imaging in hepatico-pancreatico-biliary cancer care through shared diagnostic imaging repository”)
Member and Client Services
HDIRS provides services to member hospitals, independent health facility (IHF) clients, government stakeholders, and the Ontario healthcare system as a whole.
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Image Publishing & Storage
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Image Archiving & Retrieving
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Viewer Provisioning
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Foreign Exam Management
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PACS Upgrades & Migrations
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Diagnostic Imaging Common Service Connectivity
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Reporting & Analysis
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Service Desk, Technical Support & Member Training
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Patient Portal Integration (e.g., PocketHealth, MyChart)
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Shared Peer Review Service
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Clinical & Workflow Support
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Data Quality Support
Member and Client Sites
HDIRS would not exist without the dedicated member hospitals and independent health facility clients that generate and then share diagnostic imaging reports with other members. A list of sites that contribute DI studies to the repository is updated quarterly. This list may be useful for determining whether a particular patient exam is DIR-accessible.
Dr. Calvin H.L. Law
Chief, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
HDIRS imaging has allowed us to now directly interface with radiologists from our referring and partner sites, allowing for a new level of interaction that will lead to ongoing improvements in the quality of imaging in communities, particularly as related to specialized and regionalized cancer care. Simply put, Ontario has spent years building centres of excellence in focused locations to improve patient care and, now, HDIRS is part of the puzzle for which these centres become focused networks of care, a critical element to the future when every Ontarian can not only receive expert care, but with much of it closer to home.
