One out of six large hospitals and health systems are in the market to replace their picture archiving and communications systems (PACS), which will cause a boomlet in an otherwise rather stable market, according to a new report from KLAS.
Growth in the market has slowed, but health systems of 1,000 or more beds are examining the need to replace their PACS with more innovative technology. They're looking, not only at performance when making selections, but also at how well PACS vendors work with their electronic health record systems, noting that CIOs want PACS vendors who have expertise, the ability to optimize workflow and provide compatibility, scalability and interoperability. The report predicts tens of millions of dollars will be spent on such replacements.
Report author Ben Brown, KLAS medical imaging general manager, noted several successful matchups between PACS and EHR systems, including:
- Allscripts and Sectra PACS
- Cener and Fuji's PACS
- Epic and both McKesson's and Philips' PACS
- Siemens PACS and Siemens Invision and Soarian Sites
The report noted that PACS are no longer technical wonders. "The question of who will revolutionize the imaging market from PACS to iEHR/iEMR (imaging electronic health/medical record) or something even more innovative remains answered at this time," Brown said.
To learn more:
- here's the press release
- check out this HealthImaging article