PACS: Fast Access to
Medical Imaging Results
Through PACS—John C. Lincoln Health Network’s Picture Archiving Communications System—physicians on staff can view images of patients either at computer workstations in hospitals, or online through computers in their own practices. Medical images are available network-wide, including our Pinnacle Radiology facilities.
PACS enables physicians to quickly and conveniently access high-quality digital images for interpretation and diagnosis minutes after scans or X-rays are performed.
Benefits of PACS to Patient Care
Our PACS system is enterprise-wide—meaning medical imaging completed at any John C. Lincoln hospital or Pinnacle Radiology facility are available to each patients’ physicians no matter where they are in the system.
For example, if a patient visits any of our facilities for diagnostic imaging on a weekday, then suddenly needs to go to either John C. Lincoln emergency department on the weekend because their condition has worsened, their original images will be immediately available to emergency physicians ensuring accurate rapid diagnoses and preventing unnecessary testing.
PACS benefits patients in numerous ways, too. The system speeds the time it takes to receive a diagnosis. Physician connectivity to PACS has eliminated delays in delivering films, along with the risk of damaged or lost films.
In addition to being accessible electronically, John C. Lincoln patient imaging records are available on CD. This way, patients can take their imaging record to their primary care physicians and specialists. For example, a patient who lives in Arizona only part of the year can request a "travel copy" of the imaging records on CD.
Most important, patients have the comfort of knowing all of their medical images are easily available to their physicians whenever they are needed.