What Are the Benefits of PACS?

A picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is one of the most advantageous technologies healthcare organizations can invest in as digital transformation sweeps the industry.

This article explores the most important advantages of PACS for providers, radiologists and administrators alike.

1. Cost Savings

One of the most obvious ways PACS benefits healthcare organizations is by reducing operational costs and resource use.

For example, the small costs of traditional radiology add up quickly:

• Consumables: These include X-ray film, darkroom chemicals and printer ink.
• Errors: Errors could mean lost film, artifact-related errors, operator errors and repeat films.
• Maintenance: Maintaining traditional systems includes X-ray printer upkeep and database maintenance.

Implementing a modern PACS like ImageGrid in your facility means you can upgrade to user-friendly digital radiology techniques with minimal maintenance requirements, which can help you keep your general processing and upkeep costs low.

2. Seamless Data Integrations

Data integrations are critical for a seamless flow of information across every department of your organization. A modern PACS can integrate with third-party systems such as:

• Radiology information systems (RIS): Integrating your RIS and PACS creates a centralized database for storing, organizing and accessing patient images.
• Health information systems (HIS): Effectively collect, process and share radiology images by integrating your HIS with your PACS.
• Electronic medical record (EMR): Frictionless integrations with EMR systems enable you to create a comprehensive database of patient information for quick access and more efficient care.

Candelis' ImageGrid PACS and DICOM solutions are compatible with most third-party RIS, HIS and EMR systems for streamlined data flows across the organization.

3. More Accurate Diagnoses

One of the most important PACS advantages is the positive impact it has on the level of care you can provide by:

• Improving image quality: Compressing images can degrade their quality, making it harder for providers to accurately assess what they see. With a PACS, you can store large DICOM images without having to compress or alter them in any way that impacts their quality.
• Enabling faster diagnoses: Higher quality images mean providers can assess scans more efficiently, enabling faster and more accurate diagnoses for more effective care.
• Minimizing radiation exposure: A PACS can help you limit the number of repeat scans patients need, keeping their radiation exposure low.
• Enhancing communication: Users can more easily share images and other patient files through PACS due to its cloud-based architecture.
• Reducing risk: A robust PACS acts as a secure long-term storage facility for any medical imaging, which reduces the risk of losing images and violating the HIPAA Security Rule. Plus, integrated security measures like encryption and access control can reduce your risk of suffering a cybersecurity incident.

4. Increased Scalability

A cloud-based PACS is more scalable than a traditional on-premise solution, as the cloud is extremely flexible. You can add more storage as you go, so your system can grow with your facility to accommodate more patients and users — no need to purchase additional hardware or physical space.

Plus, frictionless integration with various other software systems boosts operational efficiency within your facility. Rather than spending hours each week searching for patient data, providers and other facility staff can get what they need in just a few clicks.

5. Streamlined Patient List Updates

Integration with your facility's patient list tool automates updates to the patient list, which eliminates the need for manual data entry and provides other benefits, including:

• Enables real-time updates: Enhance workflow efficiency by automatically updating patient records right away. This capability is especially advantageous when one technologist must use multiple imaging modalities at a time.
• Reduces errors: Outdated patient information can lead to errors in diagnosis and treatment, which can greatly impact the level of care a patient receives. Real-time updates via PACS reduce this risk by ensuring the latest information is in the patient list as soon as images are uploaded.
• Saves time: By eliminating manual data entry, PACS also frees up radiologists and providers to focus more completely on their work. It can also reduce the amount of time a patient must wait for exams.

6. Improved Accessibility

A cloud-hosted PACS simplifies image sharing and accessibility by storing your files on a web-based server rather than on local devices.

With web-based system administration capabilities, our end-to-end PACS solutions enable stakeholders to easily access patient records from anywhere in your facility, at any time. Here's how:

• Radiologists: A PACS provides radiologists with a simplified method for storing and organizing patient data, which helps improve communication with others on a patient's care team.
• Providers: Because PACS can handle large, complex images without requiring compression, providers can gain more accurate insights into their patients' conditions from every image. This capability improves both diagnosis accuracy and the effectiveness of care provided.
• Medical students: For many medical students, radiology education is stuck in the past. Granting PACS access to students gives them a hands-on way to study modern radiology practices during a fellowship or residency.
• Patients: Integration with an EMR and patient portal provides more transparency to patients about their medical journey, improving their satisfaction and comfort.

7. Effective Long-Term Storage

The HIPAA Security Rule requires covered healthcare organizations to retain all protected health information (PHI) for at least six years — however, some states have different rules regarding the period of retention.

A PACS is typically more secure than traditional storage methods, which increases your facility's resilience. With advanced disaster recovery capabilities and off-premise backups, you can restore your mission-critical data faster in the event of a data breach or natural disaster.

Candelis ImageGrid solutions provide a secure, cost-effective image archiving system that is easy to integrate and manage. With ImageGrid, you can store larger images without driving up costs or requiring additional hardware purchases. Plus, its robust cloud infrastructure enables easy scaling when you need to add more data.

8. Support for Multiple Modalities and Viewers

Your facility manages various image modalities every day, from X-rays to mammograms. Implementing a PACS seamlessly integrates all those modalities into one versatile software program for easier handling and improved patient care.

ImageGrid™ by Candelis provides multi-modality, multi-operation and multi-location support for the ultimate in system flexibility. Some of the modalities supported include:

• MRIs
• CT scans
• DEXA scans
• Fluoroscopy
• Digital X-rays
• Dental X-ray OPG
• X-ray mammography
• Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)

Enhance Your Imaging With ImageGrid™ From Candelis

If you're looking for a comprehensive, high-quality PACS solution, ImageGrid™ by Candelis is an excellent choice. With support for multiple modalities, locations and operations, our software can handle your most demanding imaging and file storage applications.

Learn how you can leverage the advantages of PACS in your healthcare organization. Book your free demo today, or contact our team for more information about any of our products.