Healthcare providers utilizing web-based PACS to distribute digital images are further meeting the needs of their radiologists, and clinicians and referring physicians are reaping the benefits, too.

Speech recognition software promises some pretty tantalizingresults. Reduced costs, lightening fast report turnaround and astandard format for reports top the list.

This month, Health Imaging & IT visits with several facilities that have navigated and survived a PACS divorce and remarriage to learn how to minimize the pain and maximize the benefits — and create a new, united family.

Smaller facilities have much to gain from installing PACS but their limited resources require thorough evaluation and careful investment. Here's how a variety of facilities have added PACS with great success.

What factors influence what technology we buy? Most of us place ease of use (61 percent) at the top of the list, followed closely by customer service (58 percent), and no hassle installation (57 percent), according to a recent Harris Interactive poll on technology buying.

Boosts in the number of imaging procedures nationwide as well as increased volume per study have led most healthcare organizations to re-evaluate their image archiving tactics.

The reality of the medical display world is that all liquid crystal displays (LCDs), both monochrome and color, are associated with potential quality issues. Two key quality issues are non-uniformity and spatial noise.

Until recently, medical display quality assurance (QA) options were limited to two, not-so-ideal solutions. Workstation-based QA controls calibration and centralized QA management on one local reading seat. It’s a tedious, labor-intense (and expensive) process that requires an IT staffer to individually check each medical display.