2006 PACS Administrator Salary Survey

• Day-to-day operation/maintenance of PACS
• Maintain integrity of PACS security, training, trouble-shooting and problem follow-up
• Plan, coordinate, implement upgrades of PACS (equipment and software)
• Administer clinical operations of PACS, including user accounts, documentation of procedures, definition and implementation of failure recovery procedures, system enhancements and trouble calls
• Coordinate installation of (new) PACS
• Set up and supervise training on PACS (radiologists, technologists, technical support staff)
• Coordinate special projects for PACS
• Coordinate interactive/interface activities with vendors
• Maintain productive, collaborative relationships with physicians, department managers and others in clinical leadership roles to achieve short- and long-term goals
• Participate in the equipment buying team
• Involved in purchase of PACS
• Coordinate film digitizing and CD processing activities
• Supervise PACS support personnel
• Participate in coordinating, planning, training and implementing teleradiology system
• Manage department operating budget (estimate future staff and equipment needs)

This year’s PACS administrator survey results lined up fairly closely with last year’s numbers

This year, 48 percent of survey respondents says their title is PACS administrator, followed by another 13 percent whose title is RIS/PACS manager. More than three-quarters (78 percent) are in charge of PACS operations and 57 percent run the operation on their own. Eleven percent are responsible for one FTE, 7 percent for 2 FTEs, and 5 percent for three FTEs. The majority (90 percent) provide on-call services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but 60 percent say they are not the only person to cover on-call duties. And although almost half say there is less than one other FTE PACS administrator employed at their organization, 91 percent say there are no PACS administrator positions currently unfilled.

PACS is not new to most survey respondents. One-third are currently evaluating or installing the first generation PACS for their facility. But 40 percent are upgrading their existing PACS. More than one-third (35 percent) are very satisfied with their current PACS vendor. Only 5 percent are dissatisfied.

Most survey respondents received a salary increase during 2005 — 39 percent got a 1-3 percent raise and 37 percent received 3-6 percent. Similar to last year, 20 percent reported a bonus of less than $5,000.

Most PACS administrators have a bachelors degree (44 percent), while 12 percent have earned a master’s degree and 25 percent have an associate’s degree. Some 84 percent have received vendor training and 58 percent have received independent PACS training. Respondents overwhelmingly believe that PACS certification would be beneficial to their career (72 percent).

A majority of PACS admins got their current job by working at their current facility. Another 21 percent found their job through networking with colleagues. And some news that may put radiology administrators at ease — 83 percent of PACS administrators said they do not plan to change jobs this year. Some 43 percent have been employed as a PACS administrator for 1 to 3 years and 20 percent for less than 1 year. Many appear to have logged extensive experience either in cardiology or radiology (22 percent have more than 20 years of experience in these fields); or in IT (25 percent have 3 to 6 years experience and another 30 percent have 6 to 12 years of experience).

As far as where PACS administrators work, 27 percent work in a hospital with 100 to 300 beds, 17 percent in a hospital with 300 to 500 beds and another 17 percent said a multi-hospital system or independent delivery network. By region, the most respondents live in the Midwest (25.6 percent), followed by the Northeast (22.4 percent), Southwest (16.5 percent) and the West (14.6 percent).