Writing a PACS program statement.

Medical telecommunications is becoming a necessity for maintaining the quality of care and delivering services on a timely basis in the current environment of cutting services and specialists to reduce costs. (Vanden Brink 1994). Picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and teleradiology are increasingly viable because there is easier connectivity among modalities and manufacturers. Agreement on the DICOM Standard is one step toward greater connectivity. Two-thirds of the 350 radiology administrators, radiologists, hospital administrators and MIS directors interviewed for the 1994 IMACS/PACS Tracking Study believe that the use of image telecommunication technology is growing. In 1993, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) formed a committee to evaluate the need for PACS and to compile a program statement. The principal purpose of the program statement is to provide fundamental information that can be understood easily by individuals outside the radiology department. It outlines the benefits of PACS and includes a financial analysis of the purchase and installation of a system. Key elements of the program statement include a description and analysis of the existing film library system, advantages of PACS, implementation plan, financial proforma and integration with the hospital information system. These and other topics are covered in detail in the following article.