ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 17, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Logical Images, the Rochester-based company that created the nation's only widely used diagnostic decision tool, VisualDx, announced today that it has been awarded a U.S. patent for its unique visual diagnostic process and system that, in addition to other features, selectively presents and displays images based upon descriptive characteristics of a patient.

The patented technology is used in VisualDx to ensure healthcare providers can more quickly and effectively reach correct diagnoses for their patients. It also is incorporated into Skinsight, the consumer-oriented web site Logical Images created to help individuals assess their symptoms and decide if they need to visit their physician.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published notification of the Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application Serial Number 8,538,770 to Logical Images today.

"This patent is a further recognition of the uniqueness of our visual diagnostic system that helps healthcare professionals avoid misdiagnosis – the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.," said Art Papier, MD, Logical Images CEO. "The patented visual diagnostic process and system make it possible for consumers and healthcare providers to quickly access the medical image that most closely fits the symptoms and medical history provided, ensuring quicker and more accurate diagnosis of disease."

Professionals, using VisualDx online, enter patient symptoms, medical history, recent travel, and other information into the system. On the basis of the information entered, VisualDx quickly delivers a highly accurate list of potential diagnoses, a series of photographs against which to match a patient's current condition, and the recommended treatments. Skinsight delivers similar results for consumers, aiding in patient education.

Without Logical Images' visual diagnostic process, physicians and consumers would have to scroll through thousands of images to find a correct match. With the patented visual diagnostic process and system, images are grouped to aid diagnosis, ensuring that users view those specific images that most closely fit the relevant symptoms and medical history.

"Logical Images' visual diagnostic system helps healthcare professionals and consumers quickly sort through potential diagnoses without bogging them down with unnecessary and irrelevant information," said Dr. Papier.

Logical Images has built an exhaustive library of more than 100,000 peer-reviewed medical images with a special emphasis on covering all different ages, skin types, and skin pigmentations. VisualDx relies on this database to provide diagnosis and treatment for more than 1,250 diagnoses. It is available as an online and mobile resource that works with the iPhone, Android, and iPad.

VisualDx is the only diagnostic decision support system to be widely adopted by clinicians nationally, with almost half the nation's medical schools and more than 1,500 hospitals and large clinics, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, relying on it to reduce medical error by ensuring accurate diagnosis.

To see a video demonstration the VisualDx system, please visit: http://www.visualdx.com/features/video-overview 

To see the consumer-oriented visual diagnostic tool, please visit www.skinsight.com

About Logical Images

Logical Images, based in Rochester, NY, is the industry leader in visual diagnostic decision support, providing affordable, fast, and widely used mobile apps and online resources scientifically proven to improve diagnostic accuracy while also educating and empowering patients. The company's products include VisualDx (VisualDx.com), a mobile app and online clinical decision support system for diagnostic accuracy, and Skinsight (Skinsight.com), the Web's leading consumer skin health and wellness resource.