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Imaging and the Web

In the ten years or so since picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) were introduced, only 15% of hospitals in the US have implemented them in their radiology departments; the vast majority of hospitals handle most images as they have for years--on film and manually. The reasons are many, but cost is a big factor. Hospitals simply don't have money to pay for expensive PACS. A new business model, the application service provider (ASP) offers a solution. ASPs centralize alot of PACS services, serving multiple clients at once, and archiving digital images off-site at a central location. Hospitals pay on a per transaction basis and avoid the upfront costs of installing capital equipment. The web has made this possible because images can be transmitted over the Internet to off-site storage locations.

For years, the radiology industry has been waiting for the advent of the filmless radiology department, in which images are read, transmitted, and stored digitally. Radiologists have watched the rise of picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and their sister technology, teleradiology. PACS move electronic images within a radiology department using dedicated workstations and networks, while teleradiology transmits images electronically to remote locations. Both have been promoted as productivity enhancers and labor savers.

But only 15% of hospitals in the US have implemented PACS in the ten years or so since they were introduced; the vast majority of hospitals handle most images as they have been doing

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