A standard for handling and transferring images and medical information between computers is:

• A. VPN
• B. Voxel
• C. HIPAA
• D. Digital Imaging and Communications In Medicine

Answer: (D)

This question hinges on the rule that governs how medical images and related information are formatted and moved between computer systems. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, or DICOM, is exactly that: a standard that defines both the file formats for imaging data and the network protocols used to store, retrieve, and transmit those images and their accompanying patient and study information across scanners, workstations, PACS, and hospital information systems. This interoperability is what allows a study from one vendor’s imaging device to be read and correctly associated with the right patient in another vendor’s software.

The other options don’t fit the role. A VPN secures data as it travels over a network but doesn’t specify how images are formatted or exchanged; a voxel is a 3D picture element used in imaging data, not a data interchange standard; HIPAA is a regulatory framework for patient privacy and security, not a technical standard for image transfer. So the standard that truly handles and transfers medical images and information between computers is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine.