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The
PACSman
And
the PACSman award goes to...
By
Michael Cannavo
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Of the 600-plus vendors showing products at RSNA '99, nearly 300 claim
a connection to PACS. This contrasts with about 200 last year, and a
mere 20 a decade ago.
- Vendors
still shipping products without native DICOM are few but do exist,
with DICOM adding at least $20,000 to the purchase price of a new
modality. Also consider the PACS vendors who charge $5000 to $20,000
to accept native DICOM from a modality into a DICOM-compliant PACS.
Isn't the purpose of DICOM to make integration seamless and cost-effective?
- Radiologists
mispronouncing Marconi as Macaroni were almost as numerous as those
trying to get in and out of the company's single-entry and -exit booth.
- The
Southern Baptist Convention plans on putting an estimated 100,000
people on the street to preach the gospel during next year's RSNA
meeting. There is no prediction about how many plan to be at the Baja
Beach Club between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. during RSNA 2000, however.
- I spent
five minutes in a booth that is exhibiting a digital radiology system,
trying to get brochures or other information on the company's product.
I never did get anything besides a business card, but my back never
felt better from all the bowing we did to one another.
- Even
though RSNA rules prohibit distribution of freebies, I scored an entire
ensemble this year, including a hat from Stentor, t-shirt from Aunt
Minnie.com, mousepad from Diagnostic Imaging Online, an AM-FM radio
from E-Med Technologies, Haribo Gummy Bears from the European Congress
of Radiology, and, what every techno-geek needs, a laser pointer from
Vidar Systems. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the
bottle of hot sauce from RipTide Technologies.
- The
"E-I-E-I-O" Award for Internet and E-commerce goes to all companies
offering products and services with the prefix "i" (iPACS, iSyntax,
et al), "e" (Emed, eView, etc.), or dot.com (Overread.com, radiology.com,
etc.) in their names, which at last count was at least two dozen.
- And
the 1999 PACSman Award of the Year Goes to: SoHard, a German developer
of software and firmware. One has to believe the double entendre was
missed in translation, especially since the company was immediately
preceded in the Buyers' Guide by Softmedical.
Michael
Cannavo is president of Image Management Consultants. He can be reached
by e-mail at pacsman@ix.netcom.com
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