Patent ID: 8219570

Claim:
A method to automatically generate a query to a Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) server, said method comprising: selecting a DICOM query option from a displayed menu, provided by a patient management software application hosted on a personal computer, to initiate displaying of a query window, wherein said query window includes unpopulated data fields; reading patient identification information using a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanning device, wherein said patient identification information is encoded in a RFID tag or chip; automatically forwarding said read patient identification information from said RFID scanning device to said patient management software application on said personal computer; automatically populating at least one of said data fields of said query window with at least a portion of said patient identification information within said patient management software application; and initiating a search operation to search at least one DICOM server, based at least on said populated patient identification information, for one or more of at least one medical image, at least one medical study, and at least one medical report using said patient management software application.