HDIRS is an independent corporation responsible for building and operating a diagnostic imaging repository that enables storage and retrieval of electronic images, such as X-rays and ultrasounds, and patient records.

The concept of HDIRS was developed in 2006 when ten Ontario hospital  corporations agreed to combine resources and develop a shared diagnostic imaging repository.  Since then, 13 additional hospital corporations joined the partnership, and today 23 hospital corporations, made up of 38 health facilities, are represented by HDIRS.

When HDIRS formed, eight of the partner hospitals were using film X-rays. The first HDIRS task was to replace film with a digitial technology called the picture archiving communications system (PACS).

Storage of the digital exams and their corresponding reports was another project start up priority.  To manage the combined volume from 38 sites, a shared data repository was built.  HDIRS currently contains over 10 million diagnostic imaging exams,  a number which is predicted to increase by approximately 2.8 million annually. 

By the end of 2010 all 38 HDIRS partner health facilities' were connected to the shared digital imaging repository.