PACS is what radiologists call a picture archiving and communication system. It’s what radiologists, specialists and medical doctors use to quickly access images and other data to help them diagnose medical issues and prescribe a treatment regimen for it.
PACS have replaced the old methods involved in medical imaging, which once included film archives that took up space and were slow to share. Digital imaging took hold years ago, but those images were only available to share with CDs, which was an improvement over film, but still caused delays and technical issues.
A radiology PACS system puts hardware and software together to achieve both short and long term storage of images. Better yet, a radiology PACS system brings to light an entirely new and more efficient means of distribution, management and retrieval of these images.
PACS are widely used in hospitals and are gaining ground in rural areas, such as radiology practices and critical care centers. PACS give healthcare professionals the ability to share images with any number of professionals at satellite clinics and with specialists across state lines. It’s this access that has medical professionals working toward PACS solutions in their own facilities.
A radiology PACS system involves hardware and software, which is connected to a server containing a database of images. To view the images, healthcare workers will connect to the server through their local area network or the wide area network, whichever is in place. But a growing trend in PACS systems is to include a web-based interface that allows professionals from outside the network to get in and access the data on the server. Using a virtual private network or accessing a secure website, specialists, doctors and radiologists can access the information through their computer systems. Most agree that this is the method that is most convenient, especially in sharing data outside of the geographical area or outside of the hospital group.
There are four major components to PACS at this juncture, and they include archives that allow for storage of a large volume of images and retrieval of them; a secure network so that the information can be exchanged without compromise; computed axial tomography equipment and magnetic resonance imaging equipment; and finally, a workstation by which the images can be interpreted.
The radiology PACS system has had such positive results in patient care that medical experts believe the PACS solution, which was at around $1 billion per year a few years ago, will top $2.5 billion as an industry within the next couple of years.
OffSite Image Management, Inc. has created a PACS solution that will withstand industry changes for many years to come. Paired with a data storage and disaster recovery solution, OffSite’s goal is to keep the images secure at all times and available to the medical professionals who need them 24/7. OffSite’s PACS solution involves no heavy lifting on the part of the client – OffSite takes care of all the administration. Automatic upgrades come standard, and clients are able to see their radiological images anywhere through a secure website.