Radiologists should be reading images, not wrestling with multiple systems. Yet in many imaging centers they still juggle between patient records, reporting tools, and image viewers just to open a single study.
In a previous post we shared how we built a platform for our client that unifies these tools into one workspace and integrates with the most widely used systems out of the box. Among the many integrations we implemented, one of the key ones is with Sectra IDS7, a leading PACS solution.
PACS stands for Picture Archiving and Communication System, software that stores and displays medical images such as CT, MRI, and X-ray. In this post we take a closer look at how we built this integration and made Sectra a natural part of the seamless radiology workflow.
The problem before integration
Before this integration, radiologists had to juggle Sectra as a separate app. Every time they wanted to view images, they had to leave the platform, log in to IDS7, and then manually search for the right patient or exam.
This added friction to every case. Open the wrong study and you waste time or risk mixing up patient data. Forget to close a session and Sectra keeps running in the background, eating up resources and leaving the system out of sync. Multiply that by dozens of exams a day and the workflow turns clunky and error-prone instead of smooth and reliable.
How we integrated Sectra into the workflow
Making Sectra IDS7 part of the unified workspace meant solving several small but important challenges.
Automatic login without extra steps
Nobody wants to type a password every time they open an exam. Before integration, that was the routine. We solved it by passing the user_id directly in the launch URL, which allows automatic login. Sectra can even create a new PACS account automatically if the user does not already exist, so there is no waiting for manual setup. Security is handled through multiple layers including PKI certificates, TLS encryption, signed URLs, and hashed keys rather than relying on static shared secrets.
Opening the right exam instantly
Radiologists used to log into Sectra and then search for the study they needed. That wasted time and invited mistakes. Now the platform generates a secure URL with the identifiers needed to open the right study, using multiple layers of filtering to make sure the selection is precise. It also makes sure that local record numbers are matched correctly in each site, so the PACS always opens the right case from the radiologist’s worklist, with auto-next guiding them through exams without manual searching. If multiple studies share the same accession number, the system flags it, so radiologists are alerted and do not open the wrong exam by mistake.
How it all comes together
From the radiologist’s perspective, it feels almost like magic. One click on an exam in the worklist and the platform quietly does the heavy lifting in the background. It builds a secure URL with the right identifiers and keys, pulls in the right configuration, and then launches Sectra IDS7 to fetch images from the PACS server. What the doctor sees is simple: the right study opens instantly, without extra steps. This diagram shows the full flow of the integration.
Closing exams when the work is done
Leaving exams open in Sectra caused clutter and could confuse the workflow. The integration supports closing exam windows automatically once a report is finished, so radiologists do not have to clean up manually.
Keeping performance smooth
IDS7 is a powerful client, but starting it cold can take time. To keep radiologists from waiting, IDS7 is preloaded in the background when the platform starts, so it is ready by the time a study is opened. By the time a user clicks on a study, the viewer is already up and ready.
Protecting patient data
Patient images and identifiers cannot travel in plain text. We combined PKI encryption with short-lived access keys and TLS (Transport Layer Security) for all communication. PKI not only encrypts sensitive parts of the URL but also guarantees that every request comes from a trusted source. TLS secures the channel itself so data cannot be read in transit. Every launch URL also carries a timestamp and a hashed key, which means that even if someone intercepted it, the request would expire quickly and could not be reused.
To make this work, we set up digital certificates to let Sectra and the platform verify each other before exchanging any data. Together these safeguards keep patient information secure while still allowing fast, one-click access for radiologists.
Making it easy to configure
Every imaging center runs on its own rules and policies, and integrations need to adapt. We built a simple admin UI that takes the pain out of setup. Instead of editing config files or chasing down hidden settings, admins can adjust viewer options and encryption keys directly in one place.
When a new site comes on board, Sectra integration can be enabled through the UI alone, with no custom development required.
The impact in numbers
Before the integration, it took almost a minute just to log in and find the right study in Sectra. Now it is a single click and the exam opens in under 10 seconds. That is roughly 40 seconds saved per patient.
With 40 to 50 patients a day, each radiologist gets back around half an hour of productive time daily. On a department scale, that adds up quickly and also makes it easier to check that work is complete and to generate clearer reports for customers.
Just as important, fewer manual steps mean fewer errors and a smoother, less frustrating experience for radiologists.
Bringing healthcare systems together
ABCloudz has extensive experience integrating healthcare systems across the healthcare industry. We connect HL7, PACS, EHR, scheduling, reporting, and many other tools into workflows that make daily work easier for clinicians and administrators alike. The result is faster processes, fewer errors, and solutions that can scale across different types of healthcare organizations.
If you are planning to modernize your healthcare IT or need a partner to deliver reliable integrations, let’s talk. After all, healthcare should be about caring for patients, not wrestling with software.
