Member Resources
Members Make the Repository a Success
The HDIRS team provides services, tools, and resources exclusively to members and clients to support their efforts in delivering high quality patient care. By uploading to a repository consistently and accessing existing images and reports prior to ordering new studies, HDIRS’ hospital members and independent health facility clients are transforming healthcare.
HDIRS is grateful for the persistent use and support of the repository. Please contact us if there’s anything we can do to make interacting with the repository more productive.
Helpful Links for Members and Clients
Training
HDIRS’ online training materials are updated frequently and may be useful when adding new staff, upgrading systems, or refreshing procedures. Contact us for a training account.
Service Desk
The HDIRS service desk team is in the office on Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding statutory holidays. Emergency support is available 24x7x365.
Contributing Sites
37+ hospital corporations and 70+ IHFs upload studies to the repositories.
A DIR Glossary
Those new to diagnostic image sharing may find HDIRS’ glossary useful.
Services, Tools, and Resources for Members and Clients
-
Image Publishing and Storage
HDIRS stores images and reports that may lead to a more complete, longitudinal view of a patient’s DI history.
-
Image Archiving and Retrieving
HDIRS ensures secure, long-term storage of exams sent by member hospitals that are required for future reference and retrieval to the originating site.
-
Viewer Provisioning
HDIRS provides a zero-footprint viewer (requires no local installation) to allow authorized users to review a patient’s DI exam stored within the repository for non-diagnostic purposes. Users receive a valid user account, and HDIRS helps to administer those accounts.
-
Foreign Exchange Management (FEM)
This HDIRS-provided service allows clinical users to access and view foreign prior exams directly from the local PACS (without the use of a separate viewer) to assist with patient diagnosis.
-
Diagnostic Imaging Common Service (DI CS) Connectivity
HDIRS acts as a conduit and gateway to share member sites’ images and reports with the provincial Diagnostic Imaging Common Service (DI CS) provided by Ontario Health.
-
Migrations and PACS Upgrade Support
HDIRS helps members and clients ensure continued DIR connectivity in evolving IT environments. HDIRS assists organizations that are replacing or upgrading their local Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS), Health Information Systems, or Electronic Medical Record Systems by validating and testing publishing, archiving, FEM, Ontario Health’s Diagnostic Imaging Common Services features, and connectivity.
-
Data Quality Support (PACS Administrative Access)
HDIRS provides technical, navigation, and login support to PACS administrators who require access to the DIR administrative tools to correct PACS and imaging data and to confirm the successful transfer of exams to the DIRs.
-
Peer Review as a Shared Service
To promote patient safety, more timely diagnosis and treatment, and high quality DIR content, HDIRS hosts, operates, and maintains the Coral Peer Review software on behalf of participating members.
-
Service Desk, Technical Support, and Member Training
The HDIRS service desk addresses questions, projects of all sizes, and emergencies. HDIRS also provides training materials for new health service providers involved in uploading DI to the DIRs upon request.
-
Clinical and Workflow Support
HDIRS’ clinical lead relies on resources such as the Clinical Advisory Committee to examine and resolve workflow concerns on behalf of the entire member and client base to ensure smooth, fair, and consistent use of the DIRs.
-
Reporting and Analysis
HDIRS prepares high level, aggregate, repository-related reports for a variety of stakeholders.
-
Patient Portal Integration (e.g., PocketHealth, MyChart)
A number of HDIRS members are working to provide patient portals so patients can access their health information directly. This includes access to DI information through portals (e.g., PocketHealth, MyChart) to eliminate the need for patients to manage CDs. By integrating directly to HDIRS to provide these services, patients are provided with more complete access to their information from multiple locations. HDIRS continues to integrate these solutions in response to member requests.
Dr. Ferco Berger
Head of Emergency and Trauma Radiology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Access to imaging done at other centres is crucial for optimal care of patients at Sunnybrook. Whether acutely ill or injured or coming to us in outpatient settings, and whether for more distant past or remote, or very recent and even same-day imaging, physicians at Sunnybrook rely on access to imaging from HDIRS. Access to imaging from the DIR not only prevents unnecessary and potential harmful repeat imaging, it also assists to inform which further type of imaging to perform and which exact protocol to use. Images not being available, or only available with long delays, can induce stress, possible harm, and increased cost for healthcare.
HDIRS publishes a quarterly online newsletter for members and clients.
The newsletter provides details on HDIRS’ services and initiatives and describes innovative ways to use the DIRs.
