subject: Is There Such a Thing As An Affordable PACS? [print this page] Twenty years ago, "affordable PACS" for small clinics, private practices and non-profit health care facilities did not exist. The reason is that the computer technology needed for DICOM archive capabilities was still extremely expensive; only the military and major university medical centers could afford a Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS). In fact, it was such a university medical center that was the first civilian institution to have such equipment; the Ohio State University Medical Center installed a PACS in the early 1990s.
The cost was over a quarter-million dollars well out of reach for most public hospitals and clinics.
A Happy Ending
Over the next ten years, the OSHMC PACS station proved to be an excellent investment; the time between patient diagnosis and case dictation was cut down to under three hours, and the digitized system had nearly eliminated the need for costly film development chemicals and equipment. By 2001, the OSU PACS had saved the Medical Center over a million dollars.
Affordable PACS Today
Another thing that has happened over the past two decades is that the cost of computers and technology has dropped dramatically. By installing DICOM archive and reader software along with a high-end video card, then maximizing RAM and investing in a high-resolution monitor, any personal computer can become a PACS for a price starting out at around $5000. This makes it possible for virtually any clinic or private practice to benefit from PACS technology.
What About Mini-PACS?
A "mini-PACS" is one that is highly specialized, able to read medical images from only one or two modalities. In the past, this has been a way for clinics without unlimited funding and which specialize in one sub-field to get started in digital imaging and archiving. Today, the trend is toward more generalization; fortunately, the DICOM standard makes it easier to integrate a mini-PACS with a larger system as the budget allows.
When building a PACS, you have a number of choices when it comes to DICOM software. There are a number of free DICOM readers available on the Web as well as proprietary ones, such as the eFilm Workstation and Sony Filmstation. The most expensive part of a PACS today is the monitor; because of the nature of medical imaging, a very high-resolution monitor is required.
Still, at such a low cost that make them affordable, PACS are something no health care facility should be without.
