Getting the Most from PACS
Whether you are on your first, second or third generation of PACS (picture archiving and communication system), you have likely realized the benefits of moving to a digital workflow, such as removing film storage and expenses and decreasing report turnaround times. However, with advancing technologies and the medical imaging data explosion from CT and MRI studies, you may feel like you're missing out on the real clinical, financial and operational benefits a PACS system provides.
Is your PACS system providing you with the following benefits?
- Clinical Advantages
- Improved workflow and productivity within and between the radiology and cardiology departments and workflow automation to other areas of the hospital
- Elimination of the communication barriers between departments and facilities
- Increased physician adoption by improving their access to patient information at point of care
- Financial Advantages
- Increased cash flow by proactively impacting denials via an integrated RIS/PACS system
- Ability to identify trends before they impact the practice with decision support reporting tools
- Accelerated adoption and optimization of PACS through strategic, well-defined and targeted services
- Operational Advantages
- Enterprise access and utilization tools that are the backbone of the imaging environment
- Stable IT solutions that are deployed to bridge the functionality and infrastructure gaps between various generations of new and legacy systems
- Disruption-free implementation that ensures your facility is able to provide services during upgrades and replacements
- Maximize the value from your existing information technology budget
If your PACS is not providing the benefits listed above, then it may be time to consider a detailed workflow analysis to see where you can gain more benefits from your PACS or if you should consider replacing your PACS.
Improve Workflow and Productivity Optimization—Film to PACS
The accompanying chart illustrates a typical radiology workflow in a community hospital before and after the adoption of a PACS system. It's easy to see how much time and money you can save changing from a film-based system to the digital ease and immediacy of PACS:
(Click to open pdf)
Improve Workflow and Productivity Optimization—Modality-Based PACS to Healthcare IT Technology
The accompanying chart illustrates a typical radiology workflow with a modality-based PACS system. It's easy to see the reduced steps that improve productivity and workflow when a hospital installs a new PACS from a vendor that understands workflow at an enterprise level.
(Click to open pdf)
Serving Your Community: Physicians and Patients
A well-integrated RIS/PACS should not only ensure that you are as productive as possible but should allow you to provide a seamless workflow experience to your referring physicians so they can deliver the best possible healthcare to their patients at the point of care.
When you're looking to change your technology, make sure you choose a healthcare IT company not a modality-based PACS vendor. A healthcare IT partner will help you realize productivity and workflow improvements in the clinical, financial and operational areas of your organization.
Print page
Share this page
Twitter Updates
