Tripodr

Convenient image loading for mobile radiology at UCLA.

Tripodr App Icon

About Tripodr

Tripodr is an iOS Shortcut designed to help you conveniently load radiology images from the UCLA Health PACS on your mobile device. It can take any text or image input on your phone, extract the first medical record or accession number it finds, and then opens the corresponding patient jacket in the Visage Ease mobile viewer. Tripodr will also detect whether you are on the UCLAHealthSecure wireless network or GlobalProtect VPN, and launch the VPN for you if needed.

Installation and Setup

To install Tripodr, follow these steps on your iOS device:

  1. Ensure that Intelligent Hub is installed: If not, follow these instructions from UCLA Health IT
  2. Locate the U App Catalog:
  3. Ensure the Visage Ease mobile viewer: and the GlobalProtect VPN: are installed. If not, you can get them from the U App Catalog.
  4. Download and install Tripodr from iCloud. Click here and choose:
  5. Add Tripodr to your Home Screen: From Shortcuts press and hold on Tripodr > Select "Share" > Choose "Add to Home Screen"

Usage

Tripodr analyzes text and images on your phone to find medical record or accession numbers, and passes them to the Visage viewer. There are two main ways to do this:

Copy text or images to the clipboard, then click the Tripodr app icon.

Select a "Share" icon in your app, then scroll to select the option to share to Tripodr.

Tripodr will work from shared notes, emails, PDFs, and WhatsApp messages. It will also work from photos of PACS viewers, facesheets, Spok pages, patient labels, and wristbands. Not all apps provide an interface for directly sharing to Tripodr, but you can always take a screenshot.

We also recommend configuring the iOS password manager with Face ID or Touch ID to allow you to quickly enter your password for the VPN and Visage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Tripodr available for Android?

A: Tripodr and Visage Ease are only available for iOS devices.

Q: How do I use Visage Ease?

A: Visage is pretty intuitive but instructions are available here.

Q: Is Tripodr secure?

A: Tripodr does not transmit or receive any network data itself, it's simply a convenient launcher for the Visage viewer.

Q: Is Tripodr available for desktop?

A: No.

Q: Who can use Tripodr?

A: Tripodr should work for anyone in the UCLA Health system with credentials for accessing clinical images on Visage.

Q: Is Tripodr sponsored by UCLA Health IT?

A: LOL, no.

Q: Visage tells me "A server with the specified hostname could not be found."

A: You are likely working from off-campus (or not on UCLAHealthSecure WiFi) without the VPN activated. Activate the VPN and try again. When the VPN is correctly activated, it looks like this:

Q: How can I get technical support?

A: UCLA Neurosurgery staff should contact the Tripod for technical support. For other users, YOYO.

Q: How does Tripodr decide what image to load?

A: Tripodr takes the text, images, or documents you route to it or place on the clipboard, and scans them for 7 or 8 digit numbers. It selects the first 7 or 8 digit number it finds, and interprets 7 digit numbers as MRNs and 8 digit numbers as accession numbers.

Q: How does Tripodr decide whether to launch the VPN?

A: Tripodr detects the SSID of your wireless network and current IP address. If the network name is UCLAHealthSecure or your IP address matches the GlobalProtect VPN IP pool then it assumes you will have access to the Visage server. Otherwise it prompts you to launch the VPN.

Q: Why is it called Tripodr?

A: Tripodr is developed by and named after a class of UCLA Neurosurgery residents called the Tripod.