DR Systems PACS Helps Rural Hospitals Access Imaging Services, According to Presentation at SCAR.

SAN DIEGO -- The design of the DR Systems PACS enables small community hospitals and clinics to receive comprehensive, 24/7 diagnostic imaging services for the first time, according to a podium presentation at the 2005 annual meeting of the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR).

The presentation by William O'Leary, RT, describes how Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC), in Kalispell, Mont., extended sophisticated radiology services to far-flung community hospitals via the remote access capabilities of its DR Systems PACS. The level of services to those outlying facilities was previously available only at regional medical centers like KRMC itself.

O'Leary is KRMC's PACS specialist/outreach coordinator. His "hot topic" talk was presented on Thurs., June 2, at 11:00 a.m., in the Crystal Ballroom H. The SCAR annual meeting is held June 2-5 in Orlando, Fla.

Through the PACS, eight geographically dispersed hospitals and a healthcare clinic receive in-progress images in less than one hour, initial voice-clip report summaries in two hours, and completed reports in six to 10 hours. This marks a major improvement in healthcare.

Before PACS was implemented, the facilities were only able to receive radiologist and diagnostic imaging services on a once-a-week basis, at best. These services were provided by a part-time radiologist who drove to each community hospital one day a week to do reading, or by a clinic's mailing films to a radiologist to read and provide a tape-recorded report.

"Some of these clinics are on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation and in other underserved places that are 175 miles away from KRMC, across the Continental Divide," said O'Leary. "Yet, because this PACS has been designed for remote access through a regular telephony connection, the clinics can receive diagnostic imaging services on an around-the-clock basis. You could say we've shown that the Continental Divide doesn't have to be a digital divide."

Many of the hospitals now served by KRMC's PACS have a radiology volume of only 3,000 to 6,000 studies per year, which is insufficient to justify implementing a full-scale PACS just for those locations. Financial challenges and a national shortage of radiologists also make it difficult for rural institutions to recruit a full-time radiologist.

After studying the situation, KRMC determined that extending radiology services to the outlying clinics and hospitals required little additional investment by either KRMC or the remote facilities. This was in part because the DR Systems PACS is designed to provide the benefits of remote access. Also, that access could be provided through a T-1 line using the existing analog telephone infrastructure in areas not wired for broadband Internet service. The PACS was also able to accommodate legacy scanners in use at the other facilities.

KRMC benefited from the arrangement, as well, because it was able to charge for radiology diagnostic reading services, and archiving of images and reports. The other facilities prefer paying KRMC on a per-study basis for data storage rather than incurring the cost of storage equipment.

"What really made this project work was the unique package of features of the DR Systems PACS," said O'Leary. "The fees KRMC collects for providing services to remote facilities help pay for the system. Essentially, one PACS is providing the same excellent grade of service to ten institutions in a network."

The KRMC project demonstrated that a full-featured PACS was not just a solution for large metropolitan hospitals, O'Leary said. Indeed, the KRMC model is applicable to small and medium-sized hospitals anywhere in the nation.

KRMC is a 100-bed hospital that includes a long-term care facility, a chemical treatment center, a cancer center and home health services. The medical center has been rated by US News and World Report as one of the Top 100 hospitals in America.

SCAR (www.scarnet.org) is devoted to the advancement of computer applications and information technology in medical imaging through education and research.

About DR Systems

DR Systems, Inc. is the leading independent provider of film-free medical systems and paperless information systems for diagnostic imaging centers and hospitals. For 12 years, the company has helped more than 250 hospitals and imaging centers improve the management of patient information, eliminate film costs, and increase workflow speed, all while providing better clinical quality and patient care. DR Systems' unified PACS utilizes "Smart Client" technology to maximize efficiency and ease of use. The company's systems integrate numerous tools to improve financial performance and productivity, including: client-server and Web-based image, report and audio clip distribution; patented, automated hanging protocols for radiologists; and the report format preferences of individual referring physicians. For more information, call 800-794-5955 or visit www.dominator.com.