PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) allow hospitals to store, recall, display, manipulate, and print images and patient data in a digital format, creating a virtually “filmless” environment. As more and more diagnostic images are captured digitally, most hospitals are realizing the necessity of implementing or upgrading PACS technology in the near future. However, technology considerations, costs, and other implementation issues still make it challenging for hospitals to smoothly implement these systems. As of mid- 2003, only an estimated 5% to 20% of hospitals had fully integrated PACS.*
ECRI, a nonprofit international health services research agency with considerable experience in PACS planning consultation, will address this critical topic in its upcoming audio conference “Next-Generation PACS: Planning, Purchasing, and Implementation,” to be held on Wednesday, May 12, 2004, from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. EDT (12:00 to 1:15 p.m. CDT, 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. MDT, 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. PDT). Whether hospitals are preparing to upgrade their PACS technology or are acquiring a system for the first time, this audio conference will help them leverage planning and procurement insights from ECRI’s PACS planning experts and from hospitals that have successfully implemented PACS.
The audio conference includes presentations from experts on key issues such as developing realistic expectations of what PACS can provide, what to look for in a system, cost considerations, common pitfalls to avoid, service contract features, and more. The conference will be moderated by James Keller, M.S., director of ECRI’s Health Devices Group. Additional speakers will be announced.
With full-scale, hospital-wide PACS costing anywhere from $1 million to $15 million to purchase and implement, plus an additional $100,000 or more each year for maintenance expenses, hospitals need to plan carefully in order to ensure a return on this significant capital expense. Effective selection and implementation of a new or upgraded system involves consideration of the needs of staff members throughout the hospital. Healthcare professionals and decision makers responsible for radiology equipment planning, procurement, and maintenance, including radiology directors, radiologists and technicians, cardiology directors, information technology staff, biomedical and clinical engineers, materials managers, administrators, and chief executive and chief operating officers, will want to participate in the upcoming conference.
ECRI’s audio conference series, which features expert presentations followed by listener questions, offers similar benefits to those offered by on-site educational seminars but without any travel expenses or time spent out of the office. Participants receive valuable presentation materials to provide ongoing support after the seminar. The registration fee, which includes seminar participation for an entire site on one phone line, plus course materials, is $129 for members of ECRI’s Health Devices System, Health Devices Gold, SELECTplus(TM), and Healthcare Risk Control System, or $229 for nonmembers. The deadline for registration and payment is May 7, 2004. Registrations will not be accepted after this date.
Conference recordings and course materials for “Next-Generation PACS: Planning, Purchasing, and Implementation,” the second of four audio conferences in ECRI’s 2004 series, are also available for sale on CD-ROM or audiocassette. For those who missed ECRI’s previous audio conferences, “Bariatric and Other Surgeries on the Obese Patient: Managing Technology Challenges and Risks” (March 10, 2004), “Virtual Patient Safety: Worms, Viruses, and Other Threats to Computer-Based Medical Technology” (November 19, 2003), “Surgical Fire Safety: Hospitals’ Changing Roles” (September 17, 2003), “The HIPAA Security Rule and Medical Technology” (May 21, 2003), and “Implementing Effective Safety-Based Clinical Alarm Strategies” (March 19, 2003), recordings with conference materials are still available for purchase.
To register for ECRI’s May 12, 2004 audio conference, “Next-Generation PACS: Planning, Purchasing, and Implementation,” or to order conference recordings and materials from past seminars, contact ECRI by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA; by telephone at +1 (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891; by fax at +1 (610) 834-0240; or by e-mail at education@ecri.org.
ECRI (http://www.ecri.org/), a nonprofit international health services research agency, is a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization and an Evidence-based Practice Center as designated by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI provides information and technical assistance to the healthcare community to support safe and cost-effective patient care. The results of ECRI’s research and experience are available through its publications, information systems, technical assistance, laboratory services, professional seminars, and fellowships.
* HealthLeaders Magazine, June 2003.
ECRI
CONTACT: Pamela Keating of ECRI, +1-610-825-6000, ext. 5439,education@ecri.org
Web site: http://www.ecri.org/
