The Big Picture: Industry evolution takes many forms

Industry evolution takes many formsBy Kathy Kincade, Editor

Change is in the air, and I don’t mean just the leaves. Technology advances, open architecture, and improved compliance with standards are all resulting in the first truly integrated image and information management products, and Y2K seems already to be a thing of the past. Even my 3-year-old, Tommy, has reached a new stage in his development; last week he was Batman, this week Superman.

Such changes bode well for a newsletter that is itself experiencing a changing of the guard. Previous PNN editor Erik Ridley has done an excellent job documenting the formative years of PACS; now it is time for me to take up the mantle as we move into new and uncharted territory. My strengths as a reporter are in telemedicine, teleradiology, and, increasingly, healthcare information systems; I hope to bring these angles to this publication, while still keeping the focus on PACS.

This means beginning to look at PACS as part of a larger whole, and recognizing it as an increasingly modular technology being adopted by a growing number of smaller and mid-size hospitals. It means understanding how the current generation of PACS is beginning to impact work flow outside of the radiology department.

I also intend to seek out and report on emerging markets and technologies that are in their infancy, starting with this month’s article on wireless technologies. My goal is to report on not only what is, but what will be. And I promise, I will do everything in my power over the next year to never write the phase “the new millennium.”

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