Film elimination, physician satisfaction still tops for radiologists choosing PACS

PACS continues to proliferate in radiology departments across the globe. For many radiologists, the ability to reduce or eliminate film costs and to improve referring physician satisfaction remain its top selling points.

When PACSweb polled readers on this topic in a survey that closed last year, more than 27% of the 366 respondents choose film elimination as their primary reason for purchasing a PACS. Another 27% hoped that a PACS purchase would keep their referring physicians happy.

Three other areas evenly split up the rest of the vote:
? reducing storage space, costs, and the number of lost images
? increasing technologist productivity
? improving patient satisfaction

Revisiting the question this year, the survey found that 25% of the poll's 167 respondents valued lower film costs the most, and 20% valued improved referring physician satisfaction the most. The remaining votes were split evenly between reduced storage, fewer lost images, increased technologist productivity, and improved patient satisfaction.

In an era of continued economic uncertainty, the savings a PACS installation promises to bring to a radiology department's bottom line remains too good to pass up.