Gradual PACS adoption

For more than a decade, radiology professionals have hoped that picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) would improve efficiency and reduce costs. However, pioneer PACS systems were extremely expensive, and they didn't always meet their users' needs. Recent changes mean that PACS are more accessible. Advances in technology have resulted in decreased costs and increased computer power, and many radiologists recognize that they must consider new tools, such as teleradiology, to compete. There are roughly five classes of digital image systems used by radiologists: modality clusters, on-call review and teleradiology, remote primary diagnosis, mini-PACS and PACS. Even though hospitals seem to view PACS as inevitable, the challenge is to manage PACS implementation economically. One answer is to install PACS incrementally. Once teleradiology and mini-PACS are in place, they can be used as the building blocks of full-fledged PACS. Because PACS have a broad impact on healthcare facilities, careful planning is needed. Design your system to support future, as well as current, applications. Another important planning step is to set goals for improved efficiency and cost reduction.