PACS
What Is PACS Software? Benefits for Hospitals and Clinics
PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) stores, transmits and displays medical images. Instead of printing film, devices such as X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound send images to a central archive where doctors view them on a computer.
What does PACS consist of?
- Modalities: imaging devices (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, endoscopy, mammography, PET/CT).
- Archive server: a central image store with backup.
- Viewer: the tool doctors use to read, measure and compare images. See What is a DICOM viewer?.
- Network and protocols: image transfer via the DICOM standard.
Benefits of PACS software
- No printed film: lower supply cost and no lost films.
- Fast access: doctors open images right after acquisition, even remotely.
- Central management: images, access control and audit logs in one place.
- Prior comparison: compare multiple studies of the same patient.
- Foundation for consultation and AI: digital data enables teleradiology and AI in medical imaging.
How is PACS different from RIS?
PACS handles images; RIS (Radiology Information System) handles workflow: registration, orders, scheduling and reports. They are usually combined as an RIS-PACS solution.
When should you deploy PACS?
When the Radiology department still prints film, images are scattered across modalities, or doctors need to read from multiple locations. For small clinics, cloud PACS reduces upfront investment.
Saolasoft’s solution
saolaPACS is a DICOM RIS-PACS solution deployable on-premise or in the cloud. Contact us for advice and a demo.