New Informatics Nurse

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Hello All,

I'm newly into my position as Clinical Informatics Specialist and would like any road mapping you guys can lend. The hospital is interested in implementing PACS (picture archiving and communications system-- for those that need to be refreshed) here at the hospital. I, of course, am to orchestrate this implementation and I have no idea what PACS is or how to coordinate the transition. Help guys...please help!

Thanks a mill!

Hermajasti

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Specializes in Informatics, Education, and Oncology.

Take a deep breath and relax.

They know your experience and still chose you for this role. So get to work doing your research and learning about PACS and PACS systems. You do know what "PACS is"as you gave the definition in the first part of your post - again take a deep breath.

Read everything you can about PACS and PACS specific systems. Who is your current HIS vendor? Do they have a PACS app/module? Find out. Get the Radiologist(s) to assist you related to vendor product recomendations, contact the RAD societies and obtain info, etc What other resources can you use? Think!

Also start writing up a project charter or details about the scope of this proposed PACS implementation. What kind of additional hardware, wireing and resources will the implementation need ?

Get to work! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hello All,

I'm newly into my position as Clinical Informatics Specialist and would like any road mapping you guys can lend. The hospital is interested in implementing PACS (picture archiving and communications system-- for those that need to be refreshed) here at the hospital. I, of course, am to orchestrate this implementation and I have no idea what PACS is or how to coordinate the transition. Help guys...please help!

Thanks a mill!

Hermajasti

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Specializes in Mostly: Occup Health; ER; Informatics.

As with any new infosystem, find out:

- Who wants it, and who is sponsoring it at an executive level

- What problem are they trying to solve

- What they absolutely require (versus what they want)

- Who is funding it

- What the sponsor's vision is for this solution

Key strategy questions:

- Strategy for getting existing images into the PACS (whether; which ones; how; when)

- Strategy for getting images back out of PACS (to whom; where; how fast) --(Are the radiologists wanting to see images at home on a computer, in their pocket on an iPhone, in their clinic off hospital property; are images to be sent to offshore doctors, etc.)

- Strategy for long-term storage (does image ever go from electronic form to offline form; when; how does it get recovered for viewing)

This is a short list of key implementation concerns, but it should be enough to start. :)

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@rninformatics and 3rdcareerRn Thanks so much for your input! I'm gonna get started, we have a meeting with a PACS rep on Fri and I will keep you guys posted. (nice deep breath... inhale...exhale...)

-Hermajasti

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Specializes in Mostly: Occup Health; ER; Informatics.

I forgot to mention it earlier:

You really need to spend time on auntminnie.com if you have not been around imaging/ PACS.

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If I might make a suggestion to any NI guru's out there.... when considering a new system (EMR, PACS, etc) rather than gathering information from the department managers or administrators requesting ... speak to the actual associates that are in the "trenches". I have been in many "go-live" situations where last minute the IT folks are surprised to find a crucial piece of info that was overlook by the manager. Just a suggestion!

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