Nova RIS
By Novarad Enterprise Healthcare Solutions
The typical Nova RIS implementation process is structured to ensure a fast, reliable, and seamless deployment for radiology departments. It generally follows these steps:
Pre-implementation assessment: The process begins by evaluating the existing radiology infrastructure, workflows, and software systems. This assessment identifies integration needs (e.g., with PACS, EHRs, or billing systems) and defines goals such as improved scheduling or faster reporting turnaround.
Project planning and team formation: A dedicated implementation team is assembled, including radiologists, IT staff, and administrative personnel. Together, they define roles, project scope, and communication lines to maintain smooth coordination throughout rollout.
Timeline development: A detailed project schedule is established, outlining milestones for hardware setup (if needed), data migration, testing, and training. This ensures progress tracking and allows phased verification.
Installation and configuration: Nova RIS—being web-based and often deployed with NovaPACS—requires minimal on-site installation. The system is configured for facility-specific workflows, access roles, and integration connections.
Data migration: Historical patient and imaging data are transferred securely to Nova RIS. Integrity checks are performed to ensure the complete and accurate migration of records.
System testing and validation: Before going live, the RIS is tested for data accuracy, stability, and interface performance with other connected systems. Validation ensures compliance and user readiness.
Training and go-live: Staff receive training—typically online—with U.S.-based support and recovery protocols in place. NovaRad offers flexible SLA coverage with 99.99% uptime and both onsite/offsite disaster recovery.
Nova RIS is highly customizable to accommodate specific business and clinical needs, with options spanning workflows, interfaces, data integrations, reporting, and more. Here are key data points on its customization capabilities:
Customizable electronic forms (eForms): Facilities can design and deploy custom eForms for patient intake, medical history, consents, and workflow data collection, tailored to departmental requirements.
Configurable appointment reminders and self-scheduling: Appointment reminders and patient self-scheduling options are fully configurable, making it possible to adapt scheduling flow and communication protocols to local policies and patient preferences.
Menu and workflow customization: Nova RIS offers customizable menus, specialized worklists, and role/user-based workflow tailoring, supporting facility-unique modalities, reporting needs, and clinical protocols.
Flexible alert and notification system: Users can configure multiple alert mechanisms for unscheduled procedures, insurance pre-authorization, contraindications, STAT studies, or missed appointments, fitting operational needs.
Role-based interface and access controls: The system supports user/role-based configuration, such as hotkey setup, favorite tools, menu layouts, and preferences—these settings follow the user across devices and workstations.
Integrated business analytics and custom reporting: Management reporting and analytics tools can be customized to generate facility-specific operational, financial, and quality metrics, including reports by CPT, modality, referring physician, or custom business logic.
Third-party integration support: Nova RIS is HL7-compliant, enabling tailored integrations with PACS, EMRs, billing, and insurance systems. This allows you to set up bespoke data bridges and workflow triggers.
Customizable notification and report distribution: Choose how results and instructions are sent (fax, email, SMS, HL7 to EMR, printed), and set automated distribution workflows fitting local protocols.
Support for custom modality and image workflow: The system can set up modality-specific workflows, hanging protocols, and viewing layouts to match the requirements of individual imaging departments or radiologists.
Optional paperless workflow: Facilities can move to paperless operations with customized workflow steps for forms, approvals, and archiving processes.
Customizable doctor portal and patient engagement tools: Doctor and patient portals are designed to allow custom access rules, engagement options, and tailored instructions (including procedure and prescription templates).
Nova RIS provides extensive training and continuous support options to ensure smooth onboarding and optimal system use for all users.
Unlimited Online Training: All Nova RIS subscriptions include unrestricted online training resources. These are accessible through the Novarad Customer Portal, enabling new users to learn at their own pace through tutorials, guides, and live sessions.
Live and On-Demand Sessions: Users can choose between on-demand resources or schedule live interactive sessions with Novarad trainers to focus on specific workflows, such as scheduling, report generation, or billing.
User-Centric Education Program; Training is role-specific — radiologists, technicians, and administrative personnel each receive customized education covering their relevant modules, including image management, patient coordination, and analytics.
24/7/365 U.S.-Based Support: Nova RIS provides full-time customer support from a U.S.-based team available around the clock. Support tickets can be submitted directly through the Customer Portal, ensuring timely help and real-time system monitoring.
Implementation and Data Transfer Assistance: During setup, the Novarad team oversees planning, data migration, and system configuration, ensuring users are supported from project initiation through go-live.
Ongoing Product Updates and Knowledge Access: Subscriptions include automatic software updates, offsite disaster recovery, and access to training updates, release notes, and “tips and tricks” through the Customer Portal.
Nova RIS employs a multi-layered security framework that complies with healthcare data protection standards such as HIPAA and HITECH to safeguard patient information and system integrity.
HIPAA and HITECH Compliance: Nova RIS complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and HITECH Act, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI).
Encryption and Secure Transmission; All data transmissions are encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher, while data stored on servers is encrypted at rest. These measures prevent unauthorized access during data exchange between systems like PACS, EMR, and RIS.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Each user is assigned unique credentials, and access is restricted based on clinical or administrative roles, following the principle of least privilege. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) further strengthens login protection.
Auditing and Activity Logs: Nova RIS maintains detailed audit trails of every user’s interaction with PHI, allowing administrators to monitor data access patterns and detect anomalies or potential breaches.
Data Integrity and Backup Systems: Data is stored on fault-tolerant systems with redundant servers and automatic failover capability. The system supports off-site backup for disaster recovery, ensuring data continuity in case of system failure.
CryptoChart Secure Data Sharing: Nova RIS integrates CryptoChart, a specialized secure image- and report-sharing tool that uses highly encrypted optical QR codes. This approach ensures PHI is encrypted, not stored on devices, and shared only through verified, time-limited access codes.
Data Deletion and Lifecycle Management: The system supports secure data destruction (e.g., cryptographic wiping) for archived or redundant data, maintaining compliance with data privacy regulations.
Network and Physical Security Controls: Novarad enforces internal IT access control policies, employs secure facilities with restricted access, and subjects all employees to confidentiality agreements and HIPAA training.
Nova RIS updates are released regularly through a controlled, cloud-based management system that ensures security, compatibility, and minimal disruption for clients.
Update Frequency: Nova RIS receives routine updates several times per year, typically quarterly or as needed to address new healthcare regulations, feature enhancements, and security improvements. Critical security patches are released immediately upon identification of vulnerabilities.
Automatic Cloud Delivery via Novarad Central Command (NCC): Updates are centrally deployed and managed through Novarad Central Command (NCC), a secure management infrastructure that remotely connects to client servers using the Install Manager. This ensures that all updates, patches, and upgrades are delivered without direct access to customer networks, maintaining data integrity and privacy.
Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance: Novarad performs proactive system monitoring to detect errors and performance issues early. Updates often include optimization routines that improve speed, reduce downtime, and ensure compatibility with PACS, EMR, and modality interfaces.
Security and Compliance Integration: Each update cycle integrates HIPAA, HITECH, and modern data-protection standards. Updates include the latest encryption protocols, compliance documentation, and security patches aligned with healthcare IT regulations.
Automatic Error Recovery and Version Rollback: Nova RIS employs built-in version safety, allowing rollback mechanisms if an update interferes with existing workflows. This ensures consistent system performance across all radiology sites.
User Notification and Change Documentation: Clients are notified of updates through the Novarad Customer Portal, which includes version notes, new feature summaries, and update changelogs. Administrators can access documentation for testing before activation if desired.
Nova RIS maintains a clear and customer‑centric policy on data ownership and portability, following HIPAA, HITECH, and GDPR-aligned principles to ensure clients have full control of their data while maintaining compliance and security.
Customer Ownership of Data: All patient and operational data generated, uploaded, or stored within Nova RIS belong fully to the healthcare organization. Novarad explicitly recognizes the customer as the data owner, retaining no ownership or usage rights beyond system administration and support purposes.
Full Data Portability and Export Options: Nova RIS supports multiple export methods, including standard DICOM, HL7, CSV, and structured PDF formats. Users can export patient, study, or billing data directly through built‑in export tools or automated batch transfers. This ensures seamless migration or integration with other systems (e.g., PACS, EHRs, or external reporting platforms).
Interoperability Standards; Built on DICOM and HL7 messaging protocols, Nova RIS ensures consistent data portability across healthcare platforms. The system supports C‑MOVE, C‑STORE, and peer AE requests for transferring patient, study, or image records without proprietary limitations.
Data Access Rights and Visibility: Customers can self‑manage account provisioning and access permissions using role‑based access control (RBAC), Single Sign‑On (SSO), and Active Directory (AD) integration. This enables secure internal governance over how staff access and export data.
Secure Deletion and Retention Control: Nova RIS offers secure data deletion (via cryptographic wiping or degaussing) for archived and backed‑up datasets upon customer request or contract termination, ensuring compliance with retention and disposal standards.
No Third‑Party Data Use: Novarad does not outsource any technical operations where customer data may be exposed. It does not sell, lease, or share any clinical data with third parties unless explicitly authorized by the data owner.
Nova RIS follows a subscription-based contract policy designed to give flexibility in renewal and cancellation while ensuring service continuity and compliance with healthcare operations. The main terms and conditions relating to renewal and cancellation include:
Subscription-Based Agreement: Nova RIS operates under a renewable subscription license with typical contract durations ranging from one to five years, depending on organization size, deployment scope, and service package.
Automatic Renewal Option: Unless otherwise specified, contracts automatically renew annually under the same terms and pricing unless written notice of termination or modification is received before the renewal period. Renewal notifications are usually sent 30 to 90 days before contract expiration.
Advance Notice for Non-Renewal or Cancellation: Clients are required to provide 30–60 days written notice (email or formal letter) prior to cancellation or opting out of renewal. This prevents billing for the upcoming term and ensures proper data migration or account closure.
Early Termination Policy: Customers may terminate the contract early without penalty if Novarad fails to meet Service Level Agreement (SLA) terms (such as the guaranteed 99.99% uptime) or compliance obligations (e.g., HIPAA breach or major system failure). Otherwise, early termination typically involves prorated payment for the unused period or administrative fees.
Refund and Payment Handling: Any prepaid but unused subscription fees are refundable within 30 days of termination notice if services were not rendered, ensuring financial transparency for clients transitioning away from the platform.
Novarad’s Right to Terminate: The vendor reserves the right to terminate the agreement immediately in the event of non-payment, breach of data security protocols, or violation of licensing terms. Such instances are cited in the standard service agreement.
Post-Termination Data Handling: Upon termination, clients maintain full ownership of their data, with the option to export or migrate all records (in DICOM, HL7, or CSV formats). Novarad assists with data transfer before system access is revoked to ensure compliance and business continuity.
Nova RIS is developed and maintained in alignment with multiple healthcare, privacy, and software quality compliance standards that ensure the protection, integrity, and legal validity of all data and workflows within radiology environments.
HIPAA and HITECH (U.S.): Nova RIS strictly follows the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. These ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Protected Health Information (PHI) through encryption, access control, and auditing.
FDA 510(k) Clearance: Nova RIS and its integrated imaging systems (such as NovaPACS) hold U.S. FDA 510(k) certification, signifying compliance with FDA medical device standards for safety, interoperability, and validated performance.
ISO 9001 Certification: Novarad’s operations — including Nova RIS production, testing, and service delivery — are ISO 9001-certified, reflecting adherence to internationally recognized standards for Quality Management Systems (QMS) in software engineering and healthcare IT.
DICOM and HL7 Interoperability Standards: The platform fully supports Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) and Health Level-7 (HL7) standards to ensure interoperability between RIS, PACS, EHR, and clinical systems, enabling seamless data exchange and compliance with global communication protocols.
HITECH Contingency and Disaster Recovery Planning: Nova RIS incorporates redundancy, offsite backups, fault-tolerant storage, and documented emergency recovery protocols to comply with HITECH’s business continuity provisions.
Meaningful Use Certified Module: The Nova RIS “Meaningful Use” tracking module supports Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) data collection to meet U.S. healthcare performance reporting requirements under the CMS Meaningful Use/Promoting Interoperability programs.
GDPR and International Privacy Principles: For international deployments, Novarad aligns with EU GDPR principles, ensuring patient data sovereignty, informed consent, right-to-access, and limitations on cross-border data transfer.
Change and Risk Management Compliance: Regular risk assessments, documented change management procedures, and vulnerability patching are part of Novarad’s ISO‑aligned regulatory framework to meet ongoing IT audit and compliance obligations.
