Avara Express

Introduction

Avara Express is a platform account model that enables companies to sell AutoScribe or Viewer as a service to their customers. Similar to Stripe Express for payments, Avara Express handles multi-tenant complexity, allowing you to host multiple customers under one platform account with robust study access permissions scoping based on customer membership.

This PACS-first design makes it easy to integrate Avara Viewer or AutoScribe into your platform to maximize revenue while providing your customers with best-in-class radiology tools.

What is Avara Express?

Avara Express allows you to:

• Act as a platform account — Host all of your customers’ users with one Avara account
• Sell as a service — Offer AutoScribe or Viewer to your customers as a white-labeled or branded solution
• Manage multiple customers — Each customer gets their own customer ID with strong isolation
• Control access — Users can only see studies from customers they belong to
• Scale easily — Add new customers in seconds via dashboard or SDK

Key Concepts

Express Customers

Each customer you serve gets an Express Customer ID (cus_{32-hex-chars}). This ID is used to:

• Group users into customers
• Scope study access permissions
• Track usage and billing per customer

User-Customer Relationships

Users can be added to one or more Express customers. This enables:

• Strong isolation — Users can only see studies associated with their customer(s)
• Multi-customer support — Users can belong to multiple customers if there’s overlap
• Flexible access — Perfect for scenarios where radiologists work across multiple facilities

Study Access Control

Each study must have an expressCustomerId attached to it. This determines visibility:

• Customer members — Can see studies for customers they belong to
• Platform admins — Can view all studies across all customers (intended for hosting company staff only)
• Unattached studies — Only visible to platform admins

Platform Admins

Platform admins are special users with elevated permissions:

• Full visibility — Can view all studies across all Express customers
• Customer management — Can create, update, and manage Express customers
• User management — Can add users to any customer

Important: Platform admins are meant for the hosting company only, not for end customers.

Enabling Avara Express

Dashboard Setup

1. Navigate to Settings in the sidebar
2. Find the Avara Express section
3. Click Enable Avara Express
4. Confirm the action

⚠️ Important: Once Avara Express is enabled, it cannot be disabled. This is a permanent account-level setting.

What Happens After Enabling

Once enabled:

• A new Express Customers tab appears in the sidebar
• You can create and manage Express customers via the dashboard
• Full SDK support becomes available for programmatic customer management
• Study creation endpoints accept expressCustomerId parameters

Creating Express Customers

Via Dashboard

1. Click the Express Customers tab in the sidebar
2. Click Create Customer
3. Enter the customer name
4. Optionally add metadata (key-value pairs for custom tracking)
5. Click Create

The customer is created instantly with a unique Express Customer ID.

Via SDK

Express customers can be created programmatically using the Express API:

TypeScript

import Avara from '@avara/sdk';

const avara = new Avara({ apiKey: process.env.AVARA_API_KEY });

const expressCustomer = await avara.express.create({
  expressCustomerName: 'City Medical Center',
  metadata: {
    department: 'radiology',
    region: 'northeast',
  },
});

console.log(expressCustomer.expressCustomerId); // cus_1234567890abcdef...

Python

from avara import Avara

avara = Avara(api_key=os.environ['AVARA_API_KEY'])

express_customer = avara.express.create(
    express_customer_name='City Medical Center',
    metadata={
        'department': 'radiology',
        'region': 'northeast',
    }
)

print(express_customer.express_customer_id)  # cus_1234567890abcdef...

Java

import com.avara.Avara;
import com.avara.models.express.*;

Avara avara = new Avara.Builder()
    .apiKey(System.getenv("AVARA_API_KEY"))
    .build();

ExpressCustomerCreateRequest request = ExpressCustomerCreateRequest.builder()
    .expressCustomerName("City Medical Center")
    .metadata(Map.of(
        "department", "radiology",
        "region", "northeast"
    ))
    .build();

ExpressCustomer expressCustomer = avara.express().create(request);
System.out.println(expressCustomer.getExpressCustomerId()); // cus_1234567890abcdef...

Managing Users

Adding Users to Customers

Users must first be invited and accept their invitation before they can be added to Express customers.

Via Dashboard

1. Go to the Express Customers tab
2. Click on a customer
3. Click Add User
4. Select a user from the list (users must have accepted their invitation)
5. Click Add

The user can now see studies associated with that Express customer.

Via SDK

Users can be added to Express customers programmatically:

TypeScript

await avara.express.addUser(expressCustomerId, {
  userId: 'usr_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',
});

Python

avara.express.add_user(
    express_customer_id='cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',
    user_id='usr_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef'
)

Java

ExpressCustomerAddUserRequest request = ExpressCustomerAddUserRequest.builder()
    .userId("usr_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef")
    .build();

avara.express().addUser(expressCustomerId, request);

Multi-Customer Users

Users can belong to multiple Express customers. This is useful when:

• A radiologist works at multiple facilities
• Practices share staff across locations

When a user belongs to multiple customers, they can see studies from all customers they’re associated with.

Creating Studies with Express Customers

When creating studies, you must attach an expressCustomerId to make them visible to customer members.

AutoScribe Studies

TypeScript

const study = await avara.autoScribe.studies.create({
  studyInstanceUid: '1.2.840.113619.2.55.3.604688119.868.1234567890.123',
  studyDescription: 'Brain MRI with Contrast',
  severity: 'normal',
  expressCustomerId: 'cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef', // Required for Express
  reportMetadata: {
    scanDate: '2024-03-15',
    scanType: 'MRI Brain with Contrast',
    patientName: 'Jane Doe',
    facilityName: 'City Medical Center',
    sex: 'female',
    dateOfBirth: '1985-07-20',
    mrn: 'MRN-2024-001234',
  },
});

Python

study = avara.auto_scribe.studies.create(
    study_instance_uid='1.2.840.113619.2.55.3.604688119.868.1234567890.123',
    study_description='Brain MRI with Contrast',
    severity='normal',
    express_customer_id='cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',  # Required for Express
    report_metadata={
        'scan_date': '2024-03-15',
        'scan_type': 'MRI Brain with Contrast',
        'patient_name': 'Jane Doe',
        'facility_name': 'City Medical Center',
        'sex': 'female',
        'date_of_birth': '1985-07-20',
        'mrn': 'MRN-2024-001234',
    }
)

Java

AutoScribeStudyCreateRequest request = AutoScribeStudyCreateRequest.builder()
    .studyInstanceUid("1.2.840.113619.2.55.3.604688119.868.1234567890.123")
    .studyDescription("Brain MRI with Contrast")
    .severity(Severity.NORMAL)
    .expressCustomerId("cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef") // Required for Express
    .reportMetadata(StudyReportMetadata.builder()
        .scanDate("2024-03-15")
        .scanType("MRI Brain with Contrast")
        .patientName("Jane Doe")
        .facilityName("City Medical Center")
        .sex(Sex.FEMALE)
        .dateOfBirth("1985-07-20")
        .mrn("MRN-2024-001234")
        .build())
    .build();

AutoScribeStudy study = avara.autoScribe().studies().create(request);

Viewer Studies

TypeScript

const study = await avara.viewer.studies.create({
  studyInstanceUid: '1.2.840.113619.2.55.3.604688119.868.1234567890.123',
  studyDescription: 'CT Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis',
  severity: 'high',
  expressCustomerId: 'cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef', // Required for Express
});

Python

study = avara.viewer.studies.create(
    study_instance_uid='1.2.840.113619.2.55.3.604688119.868.1234567890.123',
    study_description='CT Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis',
    severity='high',
    express_customer_id='cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',  # Required for Express
)

Java

ViewerStudyCreateRequest request = ViewerStudyCreateRequest.builder()
    .studyInstanceUid("1.2.840.113619.2.55.3.604688119.868.1234567890.123")
    .studyDescription("CT Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis")
    .severity(Severity.HIGH)
    .expressCustomerId("cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef") // Required for Express
    .build();

ViewerStudy study = avara.viewer().studies().create(request);

Access Control Behavior

For Customer Members

Users who belong to an Express customer can:

• ✅ See studies with that customer’s expressCustomerId
• ✅ Create reports (AutoScribe) or view studies (Viewer) for their customer
• ❌ See studies from other customers they don’t belong to

For Platform Admins

Platform admins (hosting company staff) can:

• ✅ View all studies across all Express customers
• ✅ Create and manage Express customers
• ✅ Add users to any customer
• ✅ Access all platform features

Note: Platform admins are intended for your company’s staff only, not for end customers.

For Studies Without Express Customer ID

Studies created without an expressCustomerId:

• ❌ Are not visible to customer members
• ✅ Are only visible to platform admins

Always attach an expressCustomerId when creating studies for Express customers.

Managing Express Customers

Listing Customers

TypeScript

const response = await avara.express.list({
  limit: 20,
});

for (const customer of response.expressCustomers) {
  console.log(`${customer.expressCustomerName}: ${customer.expressCustomerId}`);
  console.log(`Active: ${customer.isActive}, Users: ${customer.userCount}`);
}

Python

response = avara.express.list(limit=20)

for customer in response.express_customers:
    print(f"{customer.express_customer_name}: {customer.express_customer_id}")
    print(f"Active: {customer.is_active}, Users: {customer.user_count}")

Java

ExpressCustomerListResponse response = avara.express().list(
    ExpressCustomerListParams.builder()
        .limit(20)
        .build()
);

for (ExpressCustomer customer : response.getExpressCustomers()) {
    System.out.println(customer.getExpressCustomerName() + ": " + customer.getExpressCustomerId());
    System.out.println("Active: " + customer.getIsActive() + ", Users: " + customer.getUserCount());
}

Updating Customers

TypeScript

const updated = await avara.express.update(expressCustomerId, {
  expressCustomerName: 'City Medical Center - Updated',
  metadata: {
    department: 'radiology',
    region: 'northeast',
    wing: 'Building A',
  },
});

Python

updated = avara.express.update(
    express_customer_id='cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',
    express_customer_name='City Medical Center - Updated',
    metadata={
        'department': 'radiology',
        'region': 'northeast',
        'wing': 'Building A',
    }
)

Java

ExpressCustomerUpdateRequest request = ExpressCustomerUpdateRequest.builder()
    .expressCustomerName("City Medical Center - Updated")
    .metadata(Map.of(
        "department", "radiology",
        "region", "northeast",
        "wing", "Building A"
    ))
    .build();

ExpressCustomer updated = avara.express().update(expressCustomerId, request);

Removing Users from Customers

TypeScript

await avara.express.removeUser(expressCustomerId, {
  userId: 'usr_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',
});

Python

avara.express.remove_user(
    express_customer_id='cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef',
    user_id='usr_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef'
)

Java

ExpressCustomerRemoveUserRequest request = ExpressCustomerRemoveUserRequest.builder()
    .userId("usr_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef")
    .build();

avara.express().removeUser(expressCustomerId, request);

Deactivating Customers

TypeScript

const deactivated = await avara.express.deactivate(expressCustomerId);

Python

deactivated = avara.express.deactivate('cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef')

Java

ExpressCustomer deactivated = avara.express().deactivate(expressCustomerId);

Reactivating Customers

TypeScript

const reactivated = await avara.express.reactivate(expressCustomerId);

Python

reactivated = avara.express.reactivate('cus_1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef')

Java

ExpressCustomer reactivated = avara.express().reactivate(expressCustomerId);

Best Practices

1. Always Attach Express Customer ID

When creating studies for Express customers, always include the expressCustomerId. Studies without this ID are only visible to platform admins.

2. Use Platform Admins Sparingly

Platform admins have access to all studies across all customers. Only grant admin access to your company’s staff, not to end customers.

3. Organize Users by Customer

Add users to the appropriate Express customers immediately after they accept their invitations. This ensures they can access the correct studies from day one.

4. Track Customer Usage

Use Express customer metadata to track custom information:

• Department or facility name
• Region or location
• Billing codes
• Custom identifiers

5. Handle Multi-Customer Users

If users work across multiple facilities, add them to all relevant Express customers. They’ll be able to see studies from all customers they belong to.

Use Cases

PACS Companies

PACS companies can use Avara Express to:

• Offer AutoScribe dictation as a native feature
• Provide Viewer access to their customers
• Generate new revenue streams from existing customers
• Differentiate from competitors with integrated workflows

EHR/RIS Companies

EHR and RIS companies can:

• Embed radiology workflows into their platforms
• Offer white-labeled dictation and viewing solutions
• Provide seamless integration without separate logins
• Scale to serve multiple healthcare facilities

Summary

Avara Express enables you to:

• ✅ Host multiple customers with one platform account
• ✅ Provide strong isolation between customers
• ✅ Add new customers in seconds via dashboard or SDK
• ✅ Control study access based on customer membership
• ✅ Scale your business by selling AutoScribe or Viewer as a service

Once enabled, Avara Express cannot be disabled, so ensure this model fits your business needs before enabling. For questions or assistance with setup, contact our sales team.