MedPix® is an open-access online teaching file of medical images – primarily Radiology, but also including Dermatology, Pathology, and Endoscopy.  A collection of images may be near worthless without captions and context for those images.  The “Teaching File” concept is a Case-Based model for associating clinical information with captioned images with appropriate meta-data. Images are also annotated and labeled with teaching points for novice visitors.  The online cases are presented as “unknowns” with limited information including the demographics (age and gender) and history as well as the physical examination and important laboratory values.  After review of the images, the learner may then reveal a list of the Image Findings, a focused list of Differential Diagnoses, and the Final Diagnosis, and information about Treatment and Follow-up.  There is also a short discussion of the disease entity.

Contribution of case material to MedPix® involves a process of peer-review and editorial controls.  Images and patient clinical data must be scrubbed of all protected personal information to avoid HIPAA violations.

Maintaining the system includes database design, revision, and management.

Currently, MedPix® hosts over 12,000 patient case scenarios, 9,000 topics (“Factoids”), and nearly 59,000 images with captions and meta-data.  The database is searchable and each week one case is highlighted for 30 minutes of free AMA Category 1 CME – upon completion of a short quiz and learning survey.