Update Of The ACR-NEMA Standard Committee

In January, 1984, the American College of Radiology (ACR) representing the users of imaging equipment and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) representing the manufacturers of imaging equipment joined forces to create a committee that could solve the compatibility issues surrounding the exchange of digital medical images. This committee, the ACR-NEMA Digital Imaging and Communication Standards Committee was composed of radiologists and experts from industry who addressed the problems involved in interfacing different digital imaging modalities. In just two years, the committee and three of its working groups created an industry standard interface, ACR-NEMA Digital Imaging and Communications Standard, Publication No. 300-1985. The ACR-NEMA interface allows digital medical images and related information to be communicated between different imaging devices, regardless of manufacturer or use of differing image formats. The interface is modeled on the International Standards Organization's Open Systems Interconnection sever-layer reference model. It is believed that the development of the Interface was the first step in the development of standards for Medical Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS). Developing the interface Standard has required intensive technical analysis and examination of the future trends for digital imaging in order to design a model which would not be quickly outmoded. To continue the enhancement and future development of image management systems, various working groups have been created under the direction of the ACR-NEMA Committee.