PACS systems “a joy to use”
From left are deputy lead superintendent MRI at Cheltenham Imaging Centre Karen Hackling, Carestream RIS/PACS product specialist Andrew Robson, CIC IT and business head Niky Sykes, chief executive of Cheltenham Imaging Centre Howard Crooks, Carestream applications specialist Jim Hodge and IT and PACS support CIC Bernadette Wiggett.
Carestream Health is working closely with Cheltenham Imaging Centre to develop an extensive RIS/PACS system. The Advanced Diagnostic Cheltenham Centre provides static and mobile services, with a major commitment to cancer imaging.
Radiology services are provided for MRI, PETCT, CT and x-ray, with approximately 14,000 examinations undertaken annually.
“Our initial requirement was for a stand alone RIS, fully customisable to the unit’s way of operating, not something straight out of a box,” explained Niky Sykes, head of IT at the Cheltenham Centre.
“We installed a Carestream Health RIS in 2006 and now have a fully integrated system which covers everything for the patient’s diagnostic journey and for our administration, from scheduling and reporting to finance, invoicing and auditing.”
The next phase was to add a completely integrated PACS, which could capture images from a wide range of sources.
“The immediate challenge was to provide an automated PACS which would hang all images, from all protocols, for reporting from seven different MRI systems by thirty consultant radiologists, all with individual requirements,” explained Niky.
At the time it was difficult to conceive how this could be done, when they all utilise different naming procedures,’ she recalled.
“Initially I didn’t think it could be done, but I felt confident in the flexibility of the Carestream Health system – I don’t know of another system that could be adapted in this way..”
A full report will be published on page 33 of the April 2009 issue of RAD Magazine.
