5 Key Questions to Ask if You Are Considering a New PACS Solution
Are you considering buying a new PACS? Before you do, you need to think about a few things,
including introducing yourself to cloud PACS. It might seem like a daunting task to make this jump to a new PACS, but if you follow these tips, you are going to land on the right solution.
1. First and foremost, what is it about your current system that you don’t like? Ask for feedback from your team and get solid answers that can guide you to what your new PACS should include.
2. What is it about your current system that you actually want in your new one? What features do you have now that you absolutely must have in your future system? Make a list and put the most important ones at the top. You’re going to find in your research that vendors are offering many new options today, but don’t forget about the legacy items that must be included.
3. Cost is a huge factor, which means you need to look at the fine print to find out what annual support fees are included, because each vendor is going to be different. If you choose a cloud PACS, and that’s a fair guess in today’s cloud-based solution climate, you’ll want to make sure migration fees aren’t going to price you out of a solution.
4. While cloud PACS are a fairly recent development, pick a company that has good references and enough years in the mix to provide solid feedback on performance. Make sure their definition of vendor neutral fits yours. For instance, does it include the complete suite of DICOM and SOP classes? Can it handle ADT updates to the image files stored in the archive? Get picky with the particulars because you don’t want anything other than “true” VNA.
5. You should also make sure your cloud PACS vendor offers a vendor neutral solution. You need to be able to work with DICOM and non-DICOM images, and this is what a vendor neutral solution will offer you. Plus, it’s the easiest way to get total access to images without the hassle of a proprietary viewer.
Most hospitals struggle with access to images, even from department to department. This is why cloud solutions are so important – they break down silos and give providers the access they need to images, whether it’s in the emergency room, cardiology and orthopedics or through mobile devices on the go.
At OffSite Image Management, Inc., we’ve built our solutions for scalability, flexibility and availability. Not many vendors out there can provide the breadth of solutions we offer at the price we charge. In fact, we can guarantee a cost savings all while providing you with cloud-based technology that will improve your business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. For more information about cloud PACS, contact us today and let’s talk.