Amid healthcare reform and cost cutting one of the areas that will see a surge in demand in coming years is Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). Current systems, especially the ones at hospitals, are outdated and will need to be replaced soon. But replacement of these systems is not going to be easy – as this will entail replacing legacy technology with new technologies like SAAS, mobile computing, cloud, conversion etc. One approach is to implement new systems in parallel with old legacy systems but keeping in mind that new system should support vendor neutral archiving i.e. ease of integration with any system from any vendor. Actually deploying a whole new system might be cheaper and result in better ROI than keeping legacy systems. CIOs of hospitals should start thinking about it. But remember that technology is not a mantra but a means to reduce healthcare cost. Real mantra is well planned strategy, ensuing roadmap, and execution.
No wonder why global PACS market by 2016 is forecasted to be at $5.5 billion (source : http://www.prlog.org/10789373-picture-archiving-and-communication-systems-pacs-market-forecasts-to-2016.html)
Let the innovation begin in PACS space too