Stentor offers technology for web-enabled transmission of images. The company claims that its proprietary image browser, because it can retrieve just those areas needed by the viewer, obviates the need for the image compression that compromises the quality of other Internet-based image distribution systems.

In the ten years or so since picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) were introduced, only 15% of hospitals in the US have implemented them in their radiology departments; the vast majority of hospitals handle most images as they have for years--on film and manually. The reasons are many, but cost is a big factor. Hospitals simply don't have money to pay for expensive PACS. A new business model, the application service provider (ASP) offers a solution. ASPs centralize alot of PACS services, serving multiple clients at once, and archiving digital images off-site at a central location. Hospitals pay on a per transaction basis and avoid the upfront costs of installing capital equipment. The web has made this possible because images can be transmitted over the Internet to off-site storage locations.

Radiologists, patients and providers, will all benefit from Internet solutions for medical image management, the founders of Image Medical Corp. believe.