Diagnostics & Imaging
OCT, Fundus and Visual Field Integration: EMR Checklist
Use this imaging EMR checklist to evaluate patient matching, laterality, modality support, file validation, review, comparison, security, and recovery.
Ophthalmic imaging integration should connect the correct patient, encounter, eye, modality, report, image, technician action, and clinician review. A vendor saying “we support DICOM” is only the beginning of the evaluation.
Key takeaways:
- Test each device and data path separately.
- Preserve patient identity, date, modality, and laterality.
- Distinguish acquisition, completion, and clinician review.
- Include failure recovery, access control, and longitudinal comparison.
Identity and encounter matching
Confirm how the modality receives patient and appointment identity. Test duplicate names, changed demographics, emergency patients, corrected identifiers, and uploads made after the original visit. Avoid workflows that depend on staff retyping identifiers at every device.
Laterality and modality
Verify that OD, OS, and OU are stored explicitly rather than inferred from filenames. Confirm support for the exact OCT, fundus, visual field, biometry, topography, pachymetry, and other systems used by the hospital.
File and report controls
Ask which formats are supported, how size and type are validated, where files are stored, how thumbnails and reports are generated, and how failed or partial uploads are handled. Confirm that a report cannot be attached to the wrong tenant or branch.
Technician completion and clinician review
Acquiring an image is not the same as completing a diagnostic workflow, and completion is not the same as doctor review. The system should preserve who performed each action and route review appropriately.
Longitudinal comparison
Open several dated studies and assess side-by-side comparison, laterality, report text, image quality, measurement trends, and visit context. AI summaries should cite the saved source encounters and surface missing or conflicting evidence.
Integration acceptance checklist
- Exact device and software version tested
- Patient and encounter identity verified
- OD/OS/OU confirmed
- Original image and report retained
- Upload interruption recovered safely
- Unauthorized branch access rejected
- Technician and reviewer actions attributable
- Historical studies accessible without entering live queues
Frequently asked questions
Is DICOM support enough to guarantee integration?
No. Verify the exact modality, conformance, worklist, network, patient-matching, report, image, and support workflow.
Should a doctor’s advice create the imaging workflow automatically?
Not in Iris. Consultation advice remains in the clinical plan until the hospital deliberately initiates its operational workflow.