FACTS ABOUT
PACS AND RIS
WHAT IS PACS?
In medical imaging, PACS refers to networked computer systems dedicated to the:
STORAGE RETRIEVAL DISTRIBUTION PRESENTATION
Of digital images such as XRAY, CT, MRI, MAMMO, ULTRA SOUND etc..
PURPOSE OF PACS
ELIMINATE HARD COPY – Film, envelopes, library, etc.,
Manual Film Reading Digital Image Reading
PURPOSE OF PACS
CENTRALIZED ARCHIVE – Retrieve any study in seconds.
Replace Bulky Film Library with Computer Servers
PURPOSE OF PACS
TELERADIOLOGY – Anywhere, anytime archive access.
Improve coverage, quality and turn around times.
PURPOSE OF PACS
INTEGRATE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS – HIS, RIS, PACS, . . .
Seamless data flow across multiple, unlike info systems.
WHO WILL USE PACS?
Technologists
Radiologists
Referring Physicians
Nurses (at nursing stations)
ER doctors
ICU doctors
OR doctors
WHAT IS RIS?
RIS is a sophisticated database that inter-connects PACS
images with patient and radiology report information. It
provides important features to improve department workflow
and overall financial performance.
Radiology
Information
System
WHAT DOES RIS DO?
RIS is used to schedule patient exams, by modality.
RIS monitors patient workflow from registration, check-in, scan
started, scan completed, report transcribed and report finalized.
RIS provides management reports including patients per day (by
modality), cancellations, referrals, etc.
RIS is used to save, store and auto distribute reports.
RIS is a live database containing all patient data. No need to print
and store results for filing.
WHO WILL USE RIS?
Receptionists and secretaries use RIS to schedule in and out
patients, and to print and access reports.
Technologists use RIS to call patients, track procedures, and
post scan started and scan complete times.
Radiologists use RIS to create reports and review patient data
and prior results.
Nurses use RIS to check exam results on the floor.
Referring physicians use RIS to view reports.
Management uses RIS to track department performance.
HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT PACS AND RIS?
RESEARCH – What do other users say?
USERS – Who is using the system?
SUPPORT – Where is the technical
support?
COMPETENCE – Why consider a PACS
company?
HOW CAN WE ACCESS PACS AND RIS?
Dedicated Workstations
Enterprise Viewers, provide maximum functionality and highest
quality computer displays for primary reading.
HOW CAN WE ACCESS PACS AND RIS?
Intranet Workstations
Internal net viewer provides full access to PACS/RIS, using
customer supplied computer hardware.
HOW CAN WE ACCESS PACS AND RIS?
Internet Access
External web viewer provides secure, world wide access to
radiologists and referring physicians. Supports user supplied
computers running MS Windows and MS Explorer.
RADTECH BENEFITS
Eliminate all film spoilage.
Simplify or reduce image leveling and pre-processing.
Auto route studies to assigned, alternate or referring physicians.
Capture images or streaming video from non-DICOM modalities.
Scan film or documents and convert to DICOM for storage.
DICOM print key images and reports to any compatible printer.
Provide auto-load, patient CD for referring physician viewing.
FACILITY BENEFITS
Eliminate film, processing, storage and handling costs.
Recover valuable hospital floor space.
Expand access to remote (or specialized) radiologists.
Free up modality workstations, to conduct more studies.
Images do not deteriorate, get lost, damaged or misplaced.
Enjoy expanded radiologist coverage during off hours.
Improve profitability by reading for smaller, remote facilities.
THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A
PACS PROPOSAL
IMAGE ARCHIVE MUST HAVE 2 COPIES OR 2
SERVERS
Your PACS provider should be able to remotely start the second
servier incase your main server goes down. Or if one server gets
corrupted for some reason, you have a second copy of your
images.
THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A
PACS PROPOSAL
SUPPLIER MUST COMMIT TO ARCHIVE YOUR IMAGES IN TERMS
OF THE NUMBER OF YEARS RATHER THAN BASED ON
TERRABYTES
THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A
PACS PROPOSAL
OFF-SITE BACK UP OF ALL YOUR IMAGES
This is the 3rd copy of your images incase your onsite servers get
damaged.
THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A
PACS PROPOSAL
WEB ACCESS
This is the access use by your Radiologists or Physicians to read
or view images remotely.
THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A
PACS PROPOSAL
INTEGRATED REPORT MODULE
Your Radiologist should be able to create exam report within your
PACS. Reports should be archived with the images.
THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A
PACS PROPOSAL
UNLIMITED MODALITY CONNECTIONS
Your PACS should archive all your images from different
modalities. You may get a cheaper PACS proposal but the system
offered can only handle images from your CR.
PACS MYTHS
YOU OWN THE SOFTWARE FOR LIFE. NO LICENSE FEES
This is true for free software that you can download from the
internet. Yes, you own it but NO SUPPORT from the vendor.
When you need support, you will be required to sign up and pay for
an annual online support. This is via chat or email support.
The software version will eventually become obsolete, either it won’t
work anymore or you will be asked to upgrade and pay for the
upgrade.
PACS MYTHS
NO ANNUAL FEE AFTER THE CONTRACT
Read the fine print of the proposal…. No annual fee but the
amount you paid when you sign up might be only good for 50,000
or 100,000 studies. Once you exceeded that, your facility will be
asked to pay for the additional studies.
PACS MYTHS
PACS IS EXPENSIVE THAN FILMS
PACS is cheaper to operate long term than films.
Divide the cost of PACS to the number of studies your facility
does per year.
Example :
PACS Cost : 4,000,000 for 3 years
Number of studies per year: 60,000 x 3 yrs = 180,000
Your cost per study is only P22.22
SUMMARY
PACS and RIS are live systems and require support from the supplier.
PACS without RIS is like having a car without wheels.
A real PACS is a proprietary software and is never FREE. Think of it as the
replacement of your film expenses but a lot cheaper long term.
PACS companies make money on the software. If they don’t charge
license fees, how do you think they will survive? There are fees always for
PACS. Companies have other ways of charging. Some on software
upgrades, some in excess of the number of studies allowed when you sign
up, some when you needed support.
SUMMARY
PACS and RIS will truly help your facility save
money, improve efficiency and productivity of your
Radiology Department.
SUMMARY
PACS and RIS will truly help your facility save
money, improve efficiency and productivity of
your Radiology Department.
You get what you paid for
THANK YOU
