Embarking upon a PACS system implementation requires a commitment of your time, energy, and finances. For both your current and future needs, it’s important that you get the absolute most from the PACS system you choose.
The key to getting more from your PACS system is finding and selecting the vendor that offers a scalable, user-friendly, compatible, and upgradable solution. You need a partner who can orchestrate the equipment, software, and devices into a useable solution designed for your practice.
Upgrade Considerations
For many years, PACS systems have continued to evolve, change, and improve. These improvements mean that the system you invest in will, over time, become more and more obsolete. Understanding the upgrade path and life span of the PACS System you are reviewing is critical. Some systems include free lifetime upgrades while others require you to purchase an entirely new system. These factors can save or cost you a lot of money over time. Also, regardless of the upgrade costs, you’ll want a system that demand as little maintenance from you personally as possible.
Where PACS Systems Have Been
To understand the future of PACS Systems, it’s good to take a quick look back. The first-generation of PACS Systems were a radiology-centered, thick-client model that exclusively emphasized translating film to digital in a healthcare environment. These systems lacked many of today’s integral components, including: networks, technology, and archives. Individuals who purchased this thick model handled all their advanced imagine processing on a single workstation (essentially a $50,000 desktop computer with expensive and fast computer chips, a lot of memory, and loads of hard disk space). This first-generation PACS was expensive for many reasons, including high hardware costs, a T1 line to run the workstations, and distribution costs for CD’s, messengers, and delivery services. The second-generation PACS system was focused on improving workflow and solved the film-to-digital transition. Instead of being radiology-centric, it became enterprise-centric. Hallmarks of the second-generation PACS were Web-based systems, thin clients, and EMR integration.
Minimize Obsolescence
For the first two generations of PACS systems, the focus was maximizing its investments through maximum efficiency and throughput. Today’s new third-generation PACS systems should require an archive neutral approach that leverages the cloud and emphasizes interoperability among multiple vendor neutral archives. While it’s easy for a PACS system to send current and archived images, clinical context is also needed. Choosing a PACS system that has an unprecedented level of integration with the EMR and other information systems to provide lab values, pathology results, and other critical data is essential. Another element integral to the longevity and functionality of today’s PACS system is a robust business intelligence and analytics.
To keep these latest PACS Systems from becoming obsolete, it is important for you to avoid becoming locked into an obsolete storage strategy, especially since data storage systems can be one of the single greatest expenses for many PACS systems. One emerging solution for this need is online storage. By putting your PACS system storage online, it is both economical and a good protection from obsolescence.
