1. KP School of Medicine IT
  2. Anatomy Resource Center
  3. Medical Image Library (Carestream)

Medical Image User Library

Joe Burris
Updated

Medical Image Library User Guide

This document is an end-to-end operating guide for Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM)’s Medical Image Library (MIL)—the system and workflow used to source, de-identify (anonymize), store, organize, and deliver realistic radiology and histology/pathology images for a case-based biomedical sciences curriculum (usable on campus, at home, and in clinical settings).
 

What it’s for (purpose and scope)

  • Ensures course materials can include authentic clinical images while meeting privacy/security (PHI/HIPAA) requirements.
  • Defines who does what (faculty, staff, PMG radiologists/pathologists, MITI/MIIS, students) and the tools/systems used.
  • Provides step-by-step workflows for both image types, plus appendices covering architecture, utilities, access instructions, licensing, acronyms, and troubleshooting.

Key systems referenced

Radiology (DICOM)
  • Philips IntelliSpace PACS: used by authorized PMG faculty to search/view/select studies from KP archives.
  • MITI anonymization process + EMIA archive: MITI removes PHI and moves approved studies into a KPSOM-dedicated area.
  • ECID server + Carestream Vue Motion: hosts the KPSOM radiology library and web-based viewing experience; images are typically accessed via URLs embedded in documents or Elentra.
Histology/Pathology (SVS)
  • Leica scanners (Aperio AT2 / GT-450): digitize wet slides to SVS (with notes about label/Accession Number handling).
  • KPSOM Biomedical Sciences servers (campus + KP cloud): host the image storage zones (landing/production) and applications.
  • Proscia Concentriq: web-based system used to organize, share, and view slides; links/URLs can be placed in Elentra or documents.

Roles and primary use cases (high level)

The MIL supports:
  • Faculty requesting and curating anonymized images (radiology studies and pathology slides) and organizing/tagging/indexing them for teaching.
  • Students & faculty accessing images directly from Elentra lesson plans, from anywhere, and (for radiology) via specialized viewing setups like the Sectra table.

Radiology workflow (six-step lifecycle)

  1. Requesting images (Step 0): requester defines search criteria (hierarchy criteria and/or exam codes) and logs the request in an Image Request Log.
  2. Searching/selecting/submitting (Steps 1–2): authorized PMG faculty use IntelliSpace + a School of Medicine submission feature to identify images; add contextual comments (e.g., series/slice) and submit to MITI.
  3. Anonymizing & storing (Step 3): MITI removes/masks PHI (MRN, accession, names, notes, etc.), moves studies to KPSOM’s EMIA archives on the ECID server, updates the log, and notifies KPSOM.
  4. Preparing/organizing (Step 4): KPSOM staff/faculty decide how images will be used; a support technician may organize/rename/tag and generate URLs; notes and URLs are recorded in the submission/log.
  5. Placing/using (Step 5): URLs are embedded in documents or Elentra; users clicking links are routed through an encryption process and then into Vue Motion to view only the intended KPSOM content.
  6. Viewing (Step 6): access via Vue Motion (SSO), with guidance on navigation and image manipulation tools.

Histology/Pathology workflow (seven-step lifecycle)

  1. Requesting (Step 0): requester defines keyword-based criteria (normal/abnormal, age range, body part, diagnosis) and logs it in the Image Request Log.
  2. Searching/selecting slides (Steps 1–2): KP pathology staff/technicians work with PMG faculty to locate and pick appropriate wet slides.
  3. Scanning (Step 3): Leica scanners digitize slides (SVS); operational notes emphasize preventing identifiable accession labels from being captured.
  4. Anonymizing/transferring (Step 4): images are moved to a KPSOM “landing zone” for review; after confirming PHI-free status they’re made available more broadly.
  5. Verifying (Step 5): a final PHI check in Concentriq before release; images can be “moved” between repositories/groups to control availability.
  6. Referring/linking (Step 6): Concentriq generates URLs to a study/image; links are pasted into the Image Request Log and into Elentra learning events.
  7. Access control (Step 7): repository sharing governs who can view/annotate/edit/add content, from view-only to full access.

Appendices (what extra reference material it includes)

  • Architecture diagrams (overall system + scanner/server data flows).
  • Carestream URL encryption rationale and data flow (security requirement to protect sensitive URL parameters).
  • Radiology utilities (EMIA DB Admin / merge-split wizard for correcting or reorganizing studies/series/images).
  • How to access/mount histology servers (landing vs production zones; map network drive vs add network location; uploader vs reviewer roles).
  • Image Request Log template.
  • Acronyms glossary (e.g., MIL, EMIA, ECID, MITI, MIIS, PACS, DICOM, SVS).
  • Licensing summary for IntelliSpace, Carestream, Concentriq.
  • Troubleshooting guide (common access/link/viewer issues and escalation paths like ServiceNow tickets).
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