Which of the following standards can be used across various healthcare settings to address the capture of data structure and message exchange associated with diagnostic images?

• A. DICOM
• B. ANSI ASCX12N
• C. HL 7
• D. CHI

Answer: (A)

Interoperability for diagnostic imaging rests on a standard that defines both how image data are structured and how those data move between systems. DICOM provides that, detailing the organization of image-related information (patient, study, series, modality, pixel data, and other metadata) and the network services used to exchange the images across modalities, PACS, and workstations. This makes it possible to capture, store, and retrieve imaging studies consistently in any healthcare setting, from hospitals to clinics.

The other options address different aspects of healthcare data. ANSI ASC X12N focuses on administrative transactions like billing and scheduling, not image data structure or imaging exchange. HL7 handles clinical and workflow messaging for patient records and care processes, but imaging data are typically transmitted as DICOM objects rather than HL7 messages. CHI is not a recognized standard for imaging data exchange.