Capture, annotate, and organize your medical images
maximize utility, preserve integrity
Whether film based or digital, our image archivists handle every image with discretion, respect, and care
Logical Images has developed a sophisticated system for capturing, annotating, and organizing medical images that combines the leading edge of imaging technology with the most currently acceptable authoritative language of health care and medicine.
Whether your medical images were "born digital" or originally captured on film, Logical Images processes them by standardizing their format, linking them to a host of descriptive terminology, then storing them in an archival, stable environment.
At Logical Images, our objective is to maximize the usefulness of an image while preserving its overall integrity.
Protecting Patient Identity
Protecting patient identity is a primary concern for us. We strictly adhere to current HIPAA guidelines and take great care when cropping images to eliminate the possibility of a patient being identifiable. While we consistently strive to provide maximum visual clinical information, we strongly believe that patient rights and privacy are never to be compromised. Our image processing and database management procedures reflect the belief that there is no distinction between an image of a patient and the patient himself/herself. Accordingly, images are handled with discretion, respect, and the care appropriate for any health care facility.
Quality in Every Step of the Process
Managing large volumes of valuable medical images takes expertise, organization, a controlled environment, and care. Our team of clinicians, archivists, and image processors is dedicated to ensuring quality at every step of the process, which involves several steps:
Sorting
Our physicians and archive staff carefully sort and organize slides and digital images, grouping cases and eliminating sub-standard images. Only the most visually concise well-exposed medical images are selected for scanning and inclusion in the Logical Images digital image library.
Cleaning
Slides are meticulously dusted prior to scanning. We are careful never to use harsh chemicals or abrasive cloths that could damage the slide. Any dirt that is not safely removable at this stage is dealt with in the post-scanning image correction phase.
With digital images, we apply the same meticulous review but with the support of professional photography software. This software allows us the capability to maximize the most valuable clinical information within each image.
Scanning
Our image processing system employs a variety of state-of-the-art high-end professional flatbed scanners that provide excellent image quality and maximum efficiency. Original source documents can be slides (positive transparency), negatives, or prints in color and black and white. Size of originals can range from 35 mm to 305 x 432 mm (12 x 17 in).
- Cropping: Each image is carefully cropped in observance of HIPAA standards to protect patient identity. Cropping is also used as an important editing tool - reframing altars the image composition to emphasize the most significant visual information.
- Image correction/adjustments: Distracting colorcasts are removed, and any color balance shifts that have occurred due to deterioration are corrected. Other corrections might include the reduction of background noise and adjustment of contrast, highlights, shadows, or brightness.
- Dust and scratch removal: Because not all dirt can be safely removed prior to scanning, we eliminate or minimize dust and scratches digitally to return images to a more ideal state.
Indexing/Classifying
By assigning keywords and descriptive fields to each image - including diagnosis, skin type, body location, and lesion type, among others - we are able to leverage our proprietary searching mechanism that allows us to retrieve and view images by inputting specific criteria. This system allows for grouping to view multiple images of the same patient, which is particularly useful when viewing the presentation of a diagnosis over time. With built-in fields for contributor notes, pertinent information regarding the patient (eg, medical history, medications, exposures, travel, etc) can remain with an image and be updated as needed to create the most comprehensive record possible.
Storage/Output
Master images, or uncompressed high-resolution digital files in TIF* format, are burned onto archive-quality CD-ROM and DVD media and stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. A duplicate backup collection is stored off-site as an important measure in preservation and disaster recovery planning.
A variety of derivative files (eg, JPEGs*) are then created from the master files based upon output and access needs.
* A note about file formats:
The TIF (tagged image file) format is the most widely used format for archiving uncompressed image data. This format is able to retain integrity of the image even after multiple edits/saves. However, TIFs consume a great deal of hard drive space.
The JPEG (joint photography experts group) file format can still be high in resolution and image quality but is a compressed derivative file. However, the compression results in JPEGs needing far less hard drive space in comparison to TIFs.
Shipping
At Logical Images, we know how important your collection is to you. We treat your original photographs, slides, and negatives as if they were our own by providing you with state-of-the-art damage-resistant shipping containers in which to send your originals to us. In addition, we cover overnight shipping costs at both ends so that your downtime for accessing your image information is minimized.
Recommendations for Film-Based Collections
As practitioners, hospitals, and health care facilities transition to digital photography as a standard form of documentation, the following question arises: How do we continue to leverage the knowledge in film-based image collections?
The costs involved in digitizing a collection can be considerable, but leaving important images to languish unused in a cabinet is a tremendous waste.
Digitizing means you no longer have to access and risk damage to your originals. Digital images can be easily submitted to publishers for print, and image files can be quickly incorporated into Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.
By contributing image collections to Logical Images, not only are you disseminating important information so that others can benefit from your knowledge and experience, you are also taking a significant step in preserving your collection.
World-Class Image Archiving Expertise
Logical Images' archive and image processing team is led by Heidi Halton. As a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and the internationally renowned George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film post-graduate studies program in Photographic Preservation and Archival Management, Ms. Halton brings world-class specialist knowledge and expertise to the management, integrity, and continuing growth of the Logical Images' archive.
Do You Have a Question About Archiving or Digitizing Images?
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