Breaking Down Endoscopy Image Silos: Connecting Epic Lumens and Synapse VNA

Medical imaging has long been closely associated with radiology. But today, clinically valuable images are generated across nearly every corner of the healthcare enterprise – from pathology and cardiology, to dermatology, ophthalmology, and endoscopy.

As imaging continues to expand beyond traditional departments, healthcare organizations face an important challenge:

Endoscopy is one area where this challenge is particularly relevant. During endoscopic procedures, clinicians capture images that can provide valuable context for diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and longitudinal patient care. Yet when those images remain within specialty systems or departmental archives, accessing them alongside the rest of the patient’s clinical information can require additional steps.

For organizations using Epic’s Lumens and Fujifilm’s award winning, Synapse® VNA, an integrated approach can help bring endoscopy images into the broader enterprise imaging ecosystem while making them more readily accessible within clinicians’ existing workflows. One of the most significant benefits of the integration is the ability to make endoscopy images more readily available within the environment clinicians already use.

Why Endoscopy Images Can Become Siloed

Endoscopy departments generate significant volumes of images as part of routine procedures. Historically, however, those images may have been stored within specialty-specific systems that were designed primarily to support the needs of the department.

While these systems serve an important purpose, the departmental nature of image storage can create challenges when that content needs to be accessed elsewhere.

A gastroenterologist reviewing a previous procedure, for example, may want to see images alongside the corresponding report and other patient information. Other clinicians involved in the patient’s care may also benefit from access to those images when evaluating the patient’s history or planning next steps.

If endoscopy images are separated from the broader clinical workflow, users may have to navigate between systems to find the information they need. At the organizational level, maintaining multiple imaging repositories can also add complexity for IT teams tasked with managing data across the enterprise.

Connecting Epic Lumens and Synapse VNA

Endoscopy capture devices acquire procedural images, which are then archived to Synapse VNA. Synapse VNA typically receives this content as DICOM data, while also supporting non-DICOM file types.

Once an image is stored, Synapse VNA can send an instance-level image notification to Lumens using an HL7 MDM interface message. These notifications allow Lumens to incorporate image thumbnails into Media Manager and clinical reports, giving clinicians a convenient way to see relevant endoscopy content from within their Lumens workflow. When additional details are needed, clinicians can request the full-fidelity image on demand. Through a supported binary data retrieval integration, Synapse VNA can dynamically convert DICOM images into web-friendly formats for delivery to Lumens.

Organizations can also provide access to Synapse Mobility or another enterprise viewer when clinicians need additional image review capabilities. The result is a workflow that connects endoscopy acquisition, enterprise archiving, and the Epic EHR rather than treating them as separate environments.

Building a More Connected Imaging Infrastructure Across the Healthcare Enterprise

Connecting Epic Lumens with Synapse VNA can provide benefits that extend beyond the endoscopy department.

• For clinicians, the integration can provide more convenient access to procedural images alongside other clinical information, reducing the need to navigate separate systems and helping support a more connected view of the patient.
• For IT teams, archiving endoscopy content within a vendor-neutral archive can support a more centralized approach to managing imaging data. Support for DICOM and non-DICOM content can also help organizations accommodate imaging generated across different systems and environments.
•  For healthcare organizations, incorporating endoscopy into the enterprise imaging strategy can help break down departmental data silos and establish a foundation for broader access to clinical imaging content across the organization.

The continued growth of imaging outside radiology is changing what healthcare organizations need from their imaging infrastructure. Endoscopy is an important part of that evolution.

By integrating Epic Lumens with Synapse VNA, healthcare organizations can archive endoscopy images within an enterprise repository while providing convenient access to that content through Epic. In doing so, they can help reduce imaging silos, simplify access for clinicians, and take another step toward a more comprehensive enterprise imaging strategy.