| A PACS viewer – which is essentially a basic PC | | | | physicians, reducing the time between initial consultation |
| with specialized software and a high-resolution monitor | | | | and final dictation of a case to three hours. PACS |
| – allows any health care professional to view | | | | Workstations Any personal computers that are tied |
| medical images made in a wide range of imaging | | | | into the hospital or clinic LAN can function as pacs |
| modalities. No longer is it necessary to deal with | | | | workstations , provided that the correct software is |
| complicated film developing equipment and expensive | | | | installed and you have high-resolution monitors. Using a |
| and toxic chemicals. Images made with MRI, EKG, | | | | current PC as a PACS viewer saves money and |
| EEG, CT, CAT scans or X-rays can be saved as | | | | makes better use of existing resources. |
| digital images and studied with a pacs viewer. | | | | PACS systems make it possible for any authorized |
| Medical Imaging Enters the Digital Age Picture Archive | | | | person to view medical images on these PACS |
| and Communications, or pacs systems, were first used | | | | viewers; they can even be shared with colleagues |
| at the Ohio State University Medical Center in 1991. At | | | | anywhere in the world over the World Wide Web for |
| that time, PACS systems were quite expensive; only | | | | purposes of consultation. Multi-Functional PACS |
| major hospitals could afford the mid-to-high six figure | | | | systems do more than allow users to look at images; |
| price tag of such systems. Nonetheless, over the | | | | they are a complete integrated system for archival |
| ensuing decade, OSUMC PACS systems saved over | | | | storage of all patient records as well patient scheduling, |
| $1 million dollars, thus paying for itself. In addition, it | | | | and most important of all, billing. |
| saved thousands of man-hours on the part of | | | | |