Somatiq Origin: a cloud RIS-PACS you can start the same day

Most single imaging centres in India buy radiology software the way a hospital does, even though they are nothing like a hospital. There is a sales visit, a quotation, a server to size, an installation date a few weeks out and, quite often, an AMC. For a chain of eight centres that process makes sense, because the rollout is a project and it deserves a plan (we described one in Running a diagnostic chain on one system). For a centre with one CT, one X-ray room and two ultrasound machines, the same process is mostly waiting.

The other common option is to make do: a PACS that came with the scanner, reports typed in Word, a separate billing package and images handed over on CDs or as phone photos. The advantage is that nothing has to be bought or installed. The disadvantage is that the centre runs on four disconnected systems, and every handoff between them is done by a person. Somatiq Origin is our answer for the centre that wants neither the project nor the patchwork. Let's go over who it is for, what is included, how a centre gets started and how it fits with the rest of SOMATIQ.

Who Origin is for

It is characterised as follows.

1. It is cloud-only. There is no server at the centre to buy, back up or maintain (see Cloud PACS or on-premise? for the trade-offs).
2. It is self-serve. The centre registers and chooses its plan in the Origin portal, rather than going through a sales cycle first.
3. It covers the common modalities: X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound.
4. It is meant for a centre that wants to be reporting soon, not one that needs a custom integration first.

If your centre needs an HL7 link to a hospital HIS, an on-site PACS for very large studies, or several branches on one patient record from day one, the full Unified RIS-PACS is the better fit, and we come to the difference below.

What is included

Origin includes everything a centre needs to report. Let's go over it.

1. A worklist. Every study that arrives appears on the radiologist's worklist, wherever they are reading from.
2. A zero-footprint viewer. Radiologists open studies in a browser, with nothing installed on the reading computer. (A zero-footprint viewer is simply one that runs in a standard browser; this explainer covers what to expect from one.)
3. Structured reporting, with templates so reports from the centre follow a consistent format (see Structured reporting in radiology).
4. AI reporting and voice dictation. The radiologist dictates; the AI helps draft and structure the report. The radiologist reviews and signs every report.
5. Unlimited users, with no seat fees. Add every radiologist, technician and front-desk person who needs access.
6. Report and image delivery on WhatsApp, to patients and referring doctors (Sharing scans with referring doctors explains why secure links beat phone photos).
7. Optional longer storage, for centres that want to keep studies online for longer.

Getting started in five steps

The getting-started flow has five steps, and the first two are done by the centre in the Origin portal.

Billing for Origin is handled in the app as well. Renewal is in-app, and payment goes through Razorpay by UPI, card or net banking, so there are no invoices to chase and no separate renewal conversation each month.

Step 3 is where the real work happens, and it is worth a word. Connecting a modality means telling it to send images to SOMATIQ as a DICOM destination (an address, a port and a name the two systems agree on; DICOM, explained for centre owners walks through what those are). For most current machines this is a settings change, not a hardware change.

Same day, with one condition

Our brochure says "Install, scan and report – same day", and for many centres that is what happens. The condition is that the centre's network and hardware are ready. In practice that means three things.

1. An internet line with enough upload speed for the centre's study sizes. CT and MRI need much more than X-ray or ultrasound, and a second line from a different provider is sensible.
2. Modalities that can send DICOM to an external destination, with someone at the centre (or the modality engineer) able to change the setting.
3. A PC or two for reading and for the front desk, with a modern browser.

If any of these is missing, installation still happens; it just happens on the day the missing piece is in place. We would rather say that plainly than have a centre plan a launch around a promise that depended on its own network.

How Origin relates to the full platform and to SonoFlow

Origin, the full Unified RIS-PACS and SonoFlow are not three separate systems. They are the same SOMATIQ platform, packaged for different centres.

• The Unified RIS-PACS is the full platform: registration, scheduling, billing, acquisition, reporting and report delivery across one or many centres, with hybrid or cloud-only deployment, HL7 and FHIR integration with a HIS, priors across a network and the rest of the toolset described on somatiq.ai. Hospitals and chains usually start here.
• Somatiq Origin is the self-serve entry point for a single centre: the cloud RIS-PACS with the worklist, viewer, structured reporting, AI and dictation, set up through the portal.
• SonoFlow is our ultrasound reporting module. It reads the measurements off the saved frames, fills the OB or general worksheet, flags values to check, draws OB growth charts and drafts a structured report that the radiologist reviews and signs. Every SonoFlow subscription includes the full Origin RIS-PACS for all modalities, so a scan centre that is mostly ultrasound gets both (SonoFlow: ultrasound reports from the frames you already saved goes through it step by step).

A centre that starts on Origin and later opens a second branch, or needs a HIS link, is moving within one platform rather than changing vendors.

What this means for a centre

If you run a single centre and have been putting off a RIS-PACS because it looked like a project, Origin is meant to make it an afternoon's work. Before you register, check your upload speed, find out who can change the DICOM settings on each modality, and decide who in the team needs access (all of them can have it). Under India's DPDP framework your centre remains responsible for how patient data is handled, whichever software you use; our DPDP guide summarises the obligations, and your counsel should advise on them.

The practical upshot is that a small centre can now start on the same platform larger centres use, without a server, a long sales cycle or a separate billing relationship, provided its network and modalities are ready on the day.

Related reading

• SonoFlow: ultrasound reports from the frames you already saved — the ultrasound module that includes Origin.
• Cloud PACS or on-premise? — bandwidth, storage and downtime questions for a cloud-only centre.
• RIS, PACS or RIS-PACS? — what each system does and why one platform helps.
• How to choose a PACS in India — the buyer's checklist, including exit terms.
• The real total cost of radiology software — what to count beyond the subscription.

FAQ

What is Somatiq Origin?

Somatiq Origin is SOMATIQ's self-serve cloud RIS-PACS for imaging centres. It includes a worklist, a zero-footprint browser viewer, structured reporting, AI reporting and voice dictation for X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound, with unlimited users and report delivery on WhatsApp.

Can an imaging centre really start on Origin the same day?

Often, yes. Same-day installation and reporting assume the centre's network and hardware are ready: an adequate internet line, modalities that can send DICOM, and reading PCs with a modern browser.

How is Origin paid for?

Origin runs on prepaid monthly case plans chosen in the app. The centre renews each month in the app and pays in-app through Razorpay by UPI, card or net banking.

How is Origin different from SonoFlow and the full Unified RIS-PACS?

Origin is the self-serve cloud RIS-PACS for a single centre. SonoFlow is the ultrasound reporting module and includes the full Origin RIS-PACS. The Unified RIS-PACS is the full platform for hospitals and chains, with hybrid deployment, HIS integration and multi-site support.