In another one of those signs of the times, the volume of request for purchase (RFPs) forms being written for radiology PACS is in decline and the volume being written for cardiology PACS is on the rise. One reason might be as simple as the age of the two markets. The radiology PACS market is believed to be largely a replacement market, while the cardiology PACS market is swelling with first-time buyers. Is selecting the first cardiology PACS that much more challenging a process than selecting a first or second radiology PACS?

In the ever-changing and complicated process of integrating information systems, it’s easy to see how buying everything from a single vendor can have its perks.


When reading through a large set of image data, the last thing a radiologist wants is interruptions. Because efficient workflow is critical to productivity one of the principle complaints among radiologists is how to limit interruptions. Although some interruptions may be warranted, such as a STAT case alert or a call from a referring physician, interruptions need to be managed.
PACS/RIS Manage Interruptions

In October of 2006, they gave us fair warning: “If the Deficit Reduction Act goes through…facilities will buy less and less expensive products,” said one industry expert. Others echoed this, and now the river of anxiety has morphed into a tsunami.

With the DRA here, we re-visit the issue, questioning an industry cross-section to find some surprising issues hiding in the shadows.

1. How has your organization adapted to prepare for the DRA?

When a sudden interruption of blood flow halts oxygen delivery to the brain, the individual suffers a “brain attack,” more commonly known as a stroke. Medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, carotid artery disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes and obesity, as well as heredity and age, are common risk factors. As with any disease state, the keys to prevention rest largely on a healthy lifestyle and access to the latest medical advances.

In a recent letter to the editor, an ITN reader brought up the decision made on May 23rd, 2006, to re-classify digital mammography from a Class III product to Class II. According to the reader, “This was widely thought to mean that the complicated and lengthy process of filing a PMA to gain FDA approval to market digital mammography would no longer be required.”

June 11, 2007 - Fujifilm Medical Systems USA introduced at SIIM 2007 the new XG2000, a computed radiography (CR) system that features two cassette slots but can be reconfigured to four, and is designed to target a niche in the emerging CR market for small hospitals and imaging centers.

June 11, 2007 - The Plasmon UDO Archive Appliance Express (AA Express) is an archiving solution designed in collaboration with leading medical integrators specifically for medical facilities, offering secure and cost-effecting storage solutions.

June 11, 2007 - RamSoft announced the release of PowerServer PACS version 4.3, an enterprise grade solution for effective image management, the first release under the company’s new Customer Action Initiative (CAI), a program aimed at customer centric software development.

June 11, 2007 – The newly launched Universal Mammotome MR Biopsy System from Ethicon Endo-Surgery is compatible with wider range of breast coils and magnets and can work with most grid/cube location systems, the most common method of MR lesion targeting.
The Mammotome MR Universal Targeting Set is designed for fast and easy set up, can be used with most grid localization systems and its imageable aperture allows physicians to visually verify the placement of the probe relative to the targeted lesions.

Subscribe to
© Copyright Wainscot Media. All Rights Reserved.
Subscribe Now