Non-DICOM medical image storage

Yes. There are several healthcare imaging platforms that support storing non-DICOM image files, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, videos, PDFs, and specialized medical images. Some also provide AI triage, AI workflow orchestration, or AI-assisted image analysis.

The key distinction is between software that can accept a non-DICOM image for AI analysis and software that can retain it as part of a persistent, patient-linked medical record. Those are different capabilities: some AI triage tools delete uploads after processing, while enterprise imaging archives are specifically designed for long-term storage.

1. Best candidates to evaluate

These are vendors whose published documentation explicitly describes support for non-DICOM content.

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CIVIE — Enterprise imaging + AI integration

(Strong all-round candidate)

CIVIE's Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) supports DICOM and non-DICOM images, PDFs, XML, multimedia, and other clinical files. Its image-management platform connects imaging archives, AI tools, EHRs, and radiology information systems.

Best for: organizations wanting a centralized imaging repository with AI integrations.

Sources:civie.com+1

Product details

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Mach7 Technologies — Vendor-neutral imaging archive

Mach7's VNA stores DICOM and non-DICOM media, including JPEG, mobile-captured photos, MP4, PDF, audio, video, and HL7 reports. Files can be stored in their native format or DICOM-wrapped. It also supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments.

Best for: healthcare systems that need broad format support and want to integrate separate AI triage products.

Source:www.mach7t.com

Product details

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ZEEROmed STORE — Imaging archive + AI broker

Supports JPEG, PNG, non-DICOM video, PDFs, digital pathology slides, and proprietary whole-slide image formats. Its associated FEED component can act as an AI broker to route imaging into third-party AI algorithms.

Best for: organizations handling multiple imaging specialties, including digital pathology, and looking for AI workflow integration.

Source:zeeromed.com+1

Technology details

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CIMAR Cloud VNA — Cloud-based image storage

Archives DICOM alongside non-DICOM JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF, MP4, and AVI files, with retrieval and viewing capabilities.

Best for: healthcare providers seeking centralized cloud storage and access to mixed-format diagnostic imaging.

Sources:www.cimar.co.uk+1

Product details

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MD.ai Annotator — AI imaging and dataset management

Accepts non-DICOM JPEG, PNG, and TIFF images, as well as videos, in patient-centric file structures. Supports dataset creation, AI-assisted annotation, and model development.

Best for: AI research, image labeling, dataset curation, and developing clinical AI workflows. Confirm whether its persistence and operational archive features fit your intended production use.

Source:www.mach7t.com+2

Product details

2. Additional options worth considering

These may be a better fit depending on whether your main goal is AI triage, patient-linked storage, or clinical workflow integration.

For Sectra, see the VNA product page. For clinical-trial workflows, see the Clinion Image Repository.

3. What about AI triage software specifically?

There are AI tools that accept non-DICOM images, but persistent storage must be verified separately.

• Nexus AI CXR accepts DICOM, JPEG and PNG inputs and offers AI findings, scores and workflow tracking. Its public description does not establish that it is a general-purpose, long-term non-DICOM archive. nexus-health.ai See Nexus Health.
• Hebra analyzes clinical photos, assigns risk indications and supports follow-up photos and notes. It may be relevant to skin-image triage, but confirm retention policies and whether images can be exported or stored as part of an ongoing medical record. www.hebra.health See Hebra.
• MD.ai Annotator is worth considering when image ingestion and AI dataset management are as important as the AI workflow itself. Its documented support for JPEG, PNG and TIFF is particularly relevant.www.mach7t.com+2

A useful architectural option is to combine an AI triage product with a VNA. The AI service analyzes the image, returns a score or finding, and the original file plus the result is retained in the archive and linked to the patient or encounter.

4. What to verify before selecting a vendor

I would ask each vendor these six questions during a demo or technical evaluation:

• File formats: Does it store JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC, BMP, PDF, videos, and any specialized formats you use?
• Persistent storage: Are original files retained, or are they deleted after AI processing?
• Patient linkage: Can images be associated with a patient, encounter, accession number, or referral?
• AI integration: Can triage results, urgency scores, annotations, and reports be stored alongside the original image?
• Interoperability: Are APIs, FHIR, DICOMweb, EHR integration, and export of original files supported?
• Security and governance: Does the deployment meet your HIPAA or applicable regional privacy requirements, with appropriate access controls, audit logs, retention policies, and business associate agreements where required?

One important technical detail: DICOM-wrapping a non-DICOM file is not the same as storing it natively. If preserving the original file and its metadata matters, confirm that the vendor retains the original and can export it without loss.

My recommendation

• For general-purpose enterprise storage with AI integrations, start with CIVIE, Mach7, and ZEEROmed.
• For capturing clinical photos and associating them with patient encounters, evaluate Sectra Enterprise Capture.
• For clinical trials and traceable image management, evaluate Clinion.
• For AI model development and image dataset management, evaluate MD.ai Annotator.

One question would help me narrow this down considerably: What type of non-DICOM images do you need to store? For example, clinical photographs (JPEG/PNG), scanned documents, endoscopy videos, dermatology images, digital pathology slides, or medical images exported from equipment. The best platform can differ significantly by image type and intended workflow.

Yes, several platforms and enterprise software categories support the storage, integration, and management of non-DICOM image files (such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, or MP4/AVI media) alongside traditional medical imaging workflows.md.ai+1

While acute AI triage tools (like those for stroke or pulmonary embolism detection) traditionally focus on DICOM streams via PACS, broader enterprise imaging, multimodal platforms, and research/AI toolkits handle these mixed formats.aidoc.com+2

Categories of Software Providing Non-DICOM Storage & AI Capabilities

• Vendor Neutral Archives (VNAs) with Enterprise Imaging: Modern enterprise VNAs (such as Dicom Systems Unifier or offerings from major vendors like Philips ) are architected specifically to store and lifecycle-manage both DICOM and non-DICOM data (clinical photography, dermatology, ophthalmology/fundus, endoscopy, and pathology). They serve as the central repository and can route or expose these objects via standards like FHIR and DICOMweb.dcmsys.com+1
• Multimodal Clinical/Research AI Platforms: Platforms like Tencent AIMIS (Digital and Intelligent Medical Imaging Platform) provide multi-disciplinary, multimodal integration and storage. They accept radiology, ultrasound, endoscopy, pathology, and fundus photography, explicitly supporting JPG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, and DICOM formats for clinical training and AI analysis.tencentcloud.com
• AI Development & Annotation Platforms: Tools built for medical AI dataset creation and deployment—such as the MD.ai Annotator Platform —natively ingest DICOM while also supporting non-DICOM uploads (JPEG, PNG, TIFF) and video structures in patient-centric formats for model training and inference.md.ai

Important Distinction in Clinical Environments

• Triage vs. Enterprise Archiving: Pure real-time AI triage engines (which sit on the DICOM network to flag critical imaging like intracranial hemorrhages) typically expect DICOM input and do not act as long-term enterprise repositories for standard multimedia non-DICOM files.aidoc.com
• The Integration Bridge: To handle non-DICOM files in an AI-enabled workflow, healthcare IT typically relies on an Enterprise VNA or a Multimodal Data Management Platform to encapsulate non-DICOM files into enterprise objects (sometimes wrapping them in DICOM encapsulation) before routing them to AI inference pipelines.

If you are looking for a tool for a specific use case (such as dermatology photography, digital pathology, or AI model training), let me know and I can detail how non-DICOM ingestion works for that application.

For your use case, I would shortlist enterprise imaging vendor-neutral archives (VNAs) that can manage both standard DICOM studies from radiology and non-DICOM clinical images, such as dermatology photographs and wound-care images, in a unified, patient-centric archive.

The key distinction is that you need more than a conventional radiology PACS. You need an archive that can preserve images from different acquisition systems, associate them with the correct patient and encounter, and make them accessible through your EHR without tying your organization to one PACS vendor. Several established platforms explicitly support both DICOM and non-DICOM content.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+1

1. Vendors to consider

These are good candidates for an initial request for information (RFI). The list is a shortlist for evaluation, not a ranking of independently tested products.

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AGFA HealthCare Enterprise Imaging VNA

Best for: enterprise-wide consolidation

AGFA describes support for DICOM and non-DICOM content, medical photography, video, documents, and multimedia capture through its enterprise imaging platform. It is worth evaluating if you want to consolidate departmental image silos while retaining flexibility to integrate third-party systems.

Source:Official product overview

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Fujifilm Synapse VNA

Best for: multi-specialty imaging consolidation

Designed to manage DICOM and non-DICOM clinical imaging across specialties, with centralized access and lifecycle management. Evaluate its ability to ingest images from your existing PACS and capture workflows for dermatology and wound care.

Source:Official product overview

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Sectra VNA

Best for: standards-based multimedia archiving

Supports DICOM and non-DICOM images, with options to retain non-DICOM files in their original format or wrap them in DICOM. It also supports other multimedia content and standards-based interoperability.

Source:Official product overview

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Mach7 Vendor Neutral Archive

Best for: flexible integration and archive independence

Provides centralized management of DICOM and non-DICOM imaging, including ingestion, indexing, normalization, and integration with existing PACS and EHR environments. A strong candidate if you want control over archive architecture and deployment.

Source:Official product overview

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Merge VNA

Best for: centralized archiving with enterprise viewing

Merge describes a vendor-neutral archive for DICOM and non-DICOM content, including XDS-based information, with an associated universal viewer and EHR integration. Consider it if you want to evaluate archive and viewing capabilities together.

Source:Official product overview

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Philips Clinical Repository

Best for: non-DICOM capture and clinical context

Supports multiple image formats, DICOM, XDS and related interoperability standards, and metadata tagging. Philips also describes mobile image acquisition for wound-care workflows, making this particularly relevant to your requirements.

Source:Official product overview

Product capabilities above are based on vendor documentation; confirm current availability, licensing, and exact functionality in your region.www.agfahealthcare.com+6

2. What I would require in your RFI

The biggest risk is choosing a product that technically stores JPEG photos but cannot manage them as clinical imaging studies within the patient record.

These requirements align with published VNA implementation experience, which emphasizes native and DICOM-wrapped non-DICOM storage, metadata capture, patient identity reconciliation, and usable access across clinical applications.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+2

3. The architecture decision: archive versus enterprise imaging platform

Clinical acquisition systems

Radiology PACS · Dermatology cameras · Wound-care mobile devices

Vendor-neutral archive

DICOM + original non-DICOM files + clinical metadata

EHR / clinical viewer

Chart-linked image access

Governance

Access, audit, retention, export

Conceptual reference architecture; actual integration patterns depend on the selected vendor and EHR.

A VNA is primarily the archive and interoperability layer. An enterprise imaging platform may also supply image acquisition, workflow management, and a universal viewer. Decide whether you need both or only the archive layer before comparing prices.www.agfahealthcare.com+7

4. My recommended shortlist

I would begin with these four vendors for a focused technical evaluation:

• AGFA HealthCare — broad enterprise imaging and multimedia management.
• Philips — especially relevant given its documented wound-care acquisition capabilities.
• Sectra — strong standards-based approach to original-format and DICOM-wrapped content.
• Mach7 — worth evaluating for archive independence and integration flexibility.

Add Fujifilm and Merge if you want a broader competitive field or if your existing infrastructure makes either a natural fit.

Ask every vendor to demonstrate the same end-to-end scenario: ingest a DICOM X-ray, capture a wound photograph on a mobile device, associate both with the correct patient and encounter, open both from the EHR, and export both with their metadata to a different system. That test is more valuable than a generic product presentation.

5. One question that will narrow the options considerably

What EHR and imaging infrastructure are you using today?

EHR

Epic

Oracle Health / Cerner

MEDITECH

Other / not yet selected

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Existing imaging environment

Existing PACS to retain

Multiple PACS or departmental archives

Replacing PACS as part of the project

No existing PACS

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Preferred deployment

On-premises

Cloud or hybrid

Open to either

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Primary objective

Archive only; retain existing viewers

Archive plus universal clinical viewer

Full enterprise imaging, including capture and workflows

[Refine the shortlist]

Managing both traditional DICOM imaging (like X-rays and CTs) and non-DICOM unstructured data (like dermatology, wound care photography, and clinical PDFs) requires a true Enterprise Imaging Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA). Standard PACS solutions often struggle with non-DICOM ingestion, but enterprise-grade VNAs encapsulate these files by "DICOMizing" them or storing them in native formats with robust metadata mapping.xerox.com+1

Top enterprise VNA options and platforms known for handling mixed DICOM and non-DICOM workflows include:

• Fujifilm Synapse VNA: Widely recognized as a market leader in enterprise imaging. It offers comprehensive lifecycle management, supports multi-departmental non-DICOM ingestion (wound care, dermatology, ophthalmology), and integrates smoothly with major EHRs.healthcaresolutions-us.fujifilm.com
• Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging: Built from the ground up as an enterprise imaging platform rather than just a radiology archive. It excels at unifying disparate departmental silos, managing clinical photography, and attaching non-DICOM multimedia directly to the patient’s longitudinal record.gartner.com
• Sectra Enterprise Imaging: Known for high diagnostic and operational performance. Sectra provides robust tools to expand image management past radiology and cardiology into specialties like dermatology and wound care, emphasizing high security and unified clinical workflows.
• Hyland Healthcare (NilRead / Enterprise VNA): Strong capabilities in managing both DICOM and non-DICOM content, leveraging deep enterprise content management (ECM) roots to handle clinical documents, JPEGs, MP4s, and specialty photographs alongside standard radiology studies.
• Mach7 Enterprise Imaging / VNA: Highly flexible, vendor-neutral architecture that allows healthcare organizations to control their data routing, indexing, and storage policies for both standard DICOM objects and unstructured specialty photography without heavy reliance on proprietary formats.gartner.com

Key Evaluation Criteria for Non-DICOM Ingestion:

1. Ingestion & "DICOMization": How does the VNA capture the wound care or dermatology photo? Look for solutions supporting mobile capture apps, secure web-upload forms, or HL7/DICOMweb standards that wrap non-DICOM files with correct patient identifiers (MRN, encounter ID).dcmsys.com
2. Native Format vs. Transcoded Storage: Ensure the VNA can store files either in their native format (JPEG, PNG, PDF) or cleanly encapsulate them so clinicians view the exact original quality without compression artifacts.xerox.com+1
3. EHR/EMR Integration: The photos must render seamlessly inside your EHR (e.g., Epic, Oracle Health/Cerner ) via context-launch or universal viewer integration so providers don't have to launch a separate standalone gallery.healthcaresolutions-us.fujifilm.com

To help narrow down these choices, could you share:

• What EHR system are you currently running?
• Roughly how many non-DICOM images/files do you expect to ingest monthly?
• Are you looking for an on-premises, cloud-hosted, or hybrid deployment?