PICTURE ARCHIVE AND COMMUNICATION-SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION IN A COMMUNITY-MEDICINE PRACTICE

In order to gain experience with vendor-supplied picture archive and c ommunication system (PACS) products, a Vantage PACS from Lockheed-Mart in was installed in a Mayo community medicine practice in Rochester. T his practice produces about 45,000 radiology examinations annually. Th e PACS includes central long-and short-term storage devices, 10 image display workstations, and a dedicated high-speed image distribution ne twork. Digital images are produced using two Fuji computed radiography readers. Custom worklists were created to facilitate efficient system usage. Currently, all radiographic examinations for this practice are acquired digitally. and interpreted and distributed using the PACS. R emote softcopy interpretation via PACS has decreased the turnaround ti me for both routine and urgent examinations, and has allowed subspecia lty interpretation or consultation for pediatric examinations. These r esults have significantly improved the radiology component of this com munity medicine practice. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.