CIIP Enterprise Imaging and Vendor Neutral Archives 3

Question 1

What is the fundamental architectural difference between a traditional PACS and a VNA?

Accepted Answer

PACS typically uses vendor-specific proprietary storage formats; VNA provides open, standards-based storage enabling multi-vendor access

Answer

PACS does not use DICOM, while VNA requires DICOM compliance

Answer

VNA stores only cardiology images; PACS stores all imaging modalities

Answer

PACS stores images indefinitely; VNA automatically purges images after 7 years

Question 2

Which method provides secure DICOM image transmission over the internet or wide-area networks?

Accepted Answer

DICOM over TLS or DICOMweb over HTTPS

Answer

Unencrypted DICOM over standard TCP port 104

Answer

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) attachments

Answer

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) with anonymous access

Question 3

What does 'image lifecycle management' in a VNA refer to?

Accepted Answer

Policies governing image creation, active storage, long-term archiving, retrieval, and eventual disposition per retention rules

Answer

Scheduling the physical replacement of imaging modality equipment

Answer

Managing color display calibration settings on viewing workstations

Answer

Tracking radiologist reading time per imaging study

Question 4

What is 'de-identification' of medical images and why is it required?

Accepted Answer

Removing or obscuring patient-identifying information from images and headers to enable use without exposing PHI

Answer

Adding radiologist digital signatures to authenticate all images

Answer

Removing DICOM modality tags to reduce image file sizes

Answer

Converting color pathology images to grayscale for standardization

Question 5

What is the purpose of a national Image Exchange Network such as Carequality or CommonWell in enterprise imaging?

Accepted Answer

To enable patients and providers to share clinical images securely across different health systems nationwide

Answer

To sell de-identified medical images to pharmaceutical research companies

Answer

To mandate that all health systems replace PACS with cloud-only storage

Answer

To restrict image sharing exclusively within a single hospital campus

Question 6

What is a 'study routing rule' in a VNA system?

Accepted Answer

A configurable rule that automatically directs incoming studies to specific destinations based on DICOM attribute values

Answer

A billing algorithm that assigns CPT codes to imaging studies

Answer

A rule limiting the number of studies a radiologist can read per shift

Answer

A scheduling algorithm that assigns imaging appointments to specific modalities

Question 7

Which regulatory framework primarily drives long-term retention policies for medical imaging archives in the United States?

Accepted Answer

State and federal laws (including CMS requirements of minimum 5 years for adults) combined with ACR practice guidelines

Answer

EPA environmental record-keeping regulations

Answer

OSHA workplace safety documentation standards

Answer

FDA food and drug labeling requirements