PACS: Bringing Light to
Imaging A state-of-the-art information
system has taken Cape Cod Healthcare's imaging capabilities into the future.
Cape Cod Healthcare is now home to a picture archiving and
communication system (PACS), the latest innovation in preserving, storing,
and sharing radiology tests.
"Since the advent of radiology, the specialty hasn't changed a lot until
recently," says Bart Toensing, Cape Cod Healthcare's PACS administrator. "PACS makes radiology
exams easier to access and read for diagnoses. It's the wave of the future."
How It
Works As a
patient undergoes a radiology exam, the images are captured and immediately
translated into digital form. Since the images don't require development,
they're readily available to be viewed, allowing faster diagnosis and earlier
treatment. Whether a physician is at the hospital, office, or home, images can be viewed via a secure Internet Web
site. The images can also be manipulated to give physicians a
clearer view of potential problem areas, improving their ability to
make diagnoses with confidence.
How PACS Affects You Though PACS is used to
capture radiology images, the technology affects numerous aspects of your
care:
...From the Emergency
Department (ED) In the ED, emergency medicine physicians primarily use
X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans to diagnose conditions ranging from
broken bones to pneumonia.
"During emergency situations, every second counts to protect the health and
well-being of patients," says Herb Gray, MD, chief of the emergency department
and board-certified emergency medicine physician on staff at Falmouth Hospital.
"If I need to discuss something about a patient's X-ray or CT scan with the
radiologist, I can now do that faster than ever."
...To the Radiology
Department In addition to being useful for
standard X-rays and CT scans, PACS is also used in the radiology departments at
Cape Cod Healthcare facilities to enhance physicians' abilities to capture and
view magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopy, ultrasound, positron
emission tomography (PET), and nuclear medicine scans.
"With the volume of growth we've experienced in recent years, it's important
to reduce turnaround times for imaging exams," says Michael Fishbein, MD,
board-certified radiologist on staff at Falmouth Hospital. "Imaging technologies
like CT and MRI have made great strides in speed and imaging quality, and now
PACS allows us to make the most of these advances."
...And Even to Your
Physician's Office Giving radiologists
and physicians instant access to your radiology images while in Cape Cod Hospital
or Falmouth Hospital or Cape Cod Healthcare's walk-in facilities in
Bourne, Sandwich, and Harwich as well, is exciting. PACS goes a step further and
makes it possible for referring physicians, radiologists, and specialists to view
the images from any computer that has the proper software and Internet
access. In the past a patient's X-ray, CT scan, or MRI had to be carried from
the hospital to the referring physician's office or vice versa. Now, PACS makes it
possible for designated physicians to view the images without the hassle of
handling hard copies of the images.
"PACS is an upgrade of the capabilities we had several years ago," says
Patricia Hammel, MD, board-certified emergency medicine physician on staff at
Cape Cod Hospital. "In the past, we had to store all of our images in a
warehouse. This new technology has made our storage warehouse obsolete, and that
is a huge step forward."
Cape Cod Healthcare is dedicated to providing your physician with access to
clinical information now including images stored on PACS. We're helping primary
care physicians in the area by adding this innovative technology to their own
offices.
Four Reasons to Love
PACS 1. "Referring physicians are excited about
the arrival of PACS, because it gives instant results. In fact, the first day we
implemented PACS, we had a couple of referring physicians get on their own
computers and view their patients' imaging examinations within minutes of the
exam being completed." - Bart Toensing, PACS
administrator for Cape Cod Healthcare
2. "I heard good things about PACS - that it improved turnaround time and
offered quality images. Since we began using PACS full-time in June 2005,
everything I heard has been proven true." -Michael Fishbein , MD,
board-certified radiologist on staff at Falmouth Hospital
3. "Since a lot of health care is wrapped up in the exchange of
information, having a better way to communicate is beneficial. Whether a
physician needs to view his or her patient's radiology images today, tomorrow,
or three years from now, exams will be fully archived and able to be retrieved
quickly so there's no gap in communication." -Herb Gray, MD, chief of the
emergency department and board-certified emergency medicine physician on staff
at Falmouth Hospital
4. "At Cape Cod Hospital, we already had the ability to view X-ray images on
the computer. Now, we can look at previous images and compare them to current
ones to have a clearer and faster diagnosis."
-Patricia Hammel, MD, board-certified emergency medicine physician on
staff at Cape Cod Hospital
Time to Move On
The people, atmosphere, and lifestyle of the Cape are
wonderful. However, you may not always be nearby when the need for health care arises. When
family obligations or warmer weather call you away to other locales, take your
good health with you.
How? With PACS. Simply ask your referring physician for a
copy of your radiology exams and your physician can put a copy of your past
imaging records, including the actual images, on a CD to take with you. Thanks
to PACS, you can now have your medical record anywhere you go.
PACS: Bringing Light to
Imaging