A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to normalize DICOM image data such that normalized images may be efficiently transmitted to client devices and processed thereby. A method may include converting a DICOM image to a normalized image having a different file format, such as JPEG-XR format. The conversion of the DICOM image may include compressing the DICOM image and converting each of a plurality of pixels of the DICOM image to a grayscale pixel format and a color pixel format. The method may also create a set of related images having the different file format based upon the normalized image. The creation of the set of related images may include creating a plurality of images having different pixel dimensions that are smaller than the pixel dimensions of the normalized image. The method may also transform ancillary information related to the DICOM image to a human readable format.