Abstract: A system and method to identify a patient for imaging and information systems in a health care enterprise. A health care enterprise has a facility which includes typically equipment and the user. The system comprises the means for assigning a patient identifier-domain (PIDD) to a patient registration service in the health care enterprise. A means for assigning a default patient-identifier-domain (Default PIDD) to each facility, equipment and user. A means for assigning a patient-identifier (PID) to the patient. A means for assigning a global patient-identifier-domain identification (PIDD-ID) to each PIDD. A means for associating each PIDD with the PIDD-ID. And a means for associating the PID with the PIDD to create a unique patient identifier.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing fully integrated information processing, management and communication functions in a fully integrated RIS-PACS system for a radiology department/healthcare environment by employing brokerless interface methods to synchronize patient and exam data entities in a radiology information system (RIS) database and a picture archive and communication system (PACS) database within the RIS-PACS system and to generate direct database calls to the RIS and PACS databases. The running of RIS and PACS applications within the RIS-PACS system is initiated from client workstations over a web interface. Information from the databases is accessed by the client workstations. Also, the system may communicate between internal PACS applications and an external RIS system over a HL7-based interface or between internal RIS applications and an external PACS system over a standard medical communications interface such as HL7 and DICOM.