October 9, 2009, 2009 — The University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service has adopted 7 Medical System’s on-demand PACS service, cutting costs by 30 percent and automating workflows to improve quality of care to its undergraduate and graduate population of more than 65,000 students.
The University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service clinic had been planning to go digital for years, and implemented the plan in mid-2008 with the purchase of two digital X-ray (CR) units from Konica. At the time, the Konica sales executive recommended 7 Medical’s picture archiving and communication system (PACS) to complete the clinic’s digital strategy.
As a midsize clinic, Boynton Health Service needed to manage several critical factors: system costs, ongoing annual maintenance and upgrades, switching from manual to automated workflows
implementation, integration and PACS administration, integration to an existing electronic medical records (EMR) system, on-site and remote viewing and reading of images.
Boynton Health Service was purchasing two Konica CRs and had a limited budget remaining for the PACS. 7 Medical’s on-demand PACS solution is based on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model. The on-demand model made it possible for Boynton to pay a low monthly fee for the PACS service based on the number of studies it uses each month. Budget was less of a factor because the cost of the PACS service was half the cost of film, chemicals and related materials—and there were no upfront or ongoing capital expenses.
“We didn’t know about on-demand and what 7 Medical had to offer. We thought we would have to buy our own PACS, or lease space from another facility. We didn’t know there was a company out there that could take care of the entire PACS service for us,” said Ann Bohl, Radiology Manager of Boynton Health Service.
With 7 Medical’s on-demand PACS, all service, 24/7 support, technology upgrades, maintenance and updates are included in the monthly fee for the life of the contract. Costs are predictable, and Boynton Health Service no longer worries about pricey fees for annual maintenance, upgrades or updates. By managing and containing costs, the clinic was able to positively affect its bottom line.
For more information: www.7medical.com/solutions/casestudies/bhs.html
May 01, 2024 
