The first image-sharing app ever cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for doctors to make a medical diagnosis on a smartphone now has a patient version -- and it's free.

MIM Software Inc. said this week the VueMe App can be downloaded from the App Store for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The software lets patients view radiological scans and other images sent by their doctor on their smartphone or tablet computer. The images can also be sent to family members or other specialists, the Cleveland-based company said.

In February, the FDA cleared the Mobile MIM reader for radiologists to review MRI, CT and nuclear medicine readings if they didn't have access to a workstation.

"When we first introduced Mobile MIM, we knew it would be a hit with the medical
community," Mark Cain, MIM Software's chief technology officer, said in a statement. "But we also recognized that empowered patients would want to view and control their own medical data."

But Android users are out of luck. A MIM Software spokeswoman told DOTmed News by e-mail that the company has no plans to release an Android version of VueMe at this time.

However, to coincide with the launch, MIM Software has also started up a cloud-based service for image sharing called MIM Cloud 2.0, which works with both Mobile MIM and the new VueMe. The service lets patients upload DICOM files to a secure remote server, MIM Software said. The first three uploads are free, but patients will be charged $1 for each additional study, the company said.

The MIM Cloud 2.0 will be on display at SIIM's annual conference in Washington, D.C. this week.

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