Picture Archiving Computer Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Picture Archiving Computer Systems - Essay Example The PACS system has at the base the modalities, which are the imaging equipment. A Radiologic Information System manages the data and processes requests for information, billing, and scheduling of appointments. High-resolution monitors are located at workstations to view the images, or the data is transmitted to mobile devices over wireless transmission. PACS has many advantages over the traditional method of film reproduction, viewing, and storage. Digital archiving takes far less physical space and can be located offsite. The digital images can be transmitted to any area with the restrictions of geography and time. In addition, PACS allows multiple specialists to consult on a problem or offer a second opinion. The specialists can be available around the clock at any remote location. The cost savings can be significant. Staff can be restructured to reduce redundant tasks and capital equipment can be more fully utilized. While PACS has considerable advantages over the traditional film storage, it is also prone to problems. There can be hidden costs in the conversion of existing data. Infrastructure, such as transmission lines, needs to be upgraded to handle the increased data flow. The move towards an enterprise PACS solution can be daunting when making compromises of standardization against the best available technology on a departmental basis. In addition, staff will need to be retrained and skills upgraded to work in the PACS computerized environment. The concerns of data storage are considerable. As more examinations are performed and more departments begin to utilize PACS, the capabilities of the hospital or medical center may be overwhelmed. Outside application service providers will need to be hired to manage the storage, retrieval, and transmission of the data. In implementing PACS, it becomes necessary to make the data available to many individuals that may or may not require it. HIPAA has mandated requirements for the storage and transmission of this data. In addition, personal privacy of medical records has become ever more important. Security will be one of the paramount issues concerning the implementation of PACS. PACS is here to stay and will continue to grow and evolve. Hospital and PACS administrators will need to be multi-skilled to manage the flowering new opportunities. PACS has the opportunity to be a cost effective enhancement to patient care, but runs the risk of being a high-cost failure if implemented incorrectly or without prudent planning. 1.0 Introduction Daniel Federman, the Associate Dean of Harvard Medical School, once commented that, "We in medicine love progress...but we don't like change" (qtd. in Sandow and Hogben 59). Federman's comment illustrates the love-hate relationship that medicine has with the

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 5

Strategic Management - Essay Example The story of the ‘Subway’ is an indication of just what organizations need to do in an increasingly globalized environment. Winning customer confidence and remaining true to organization’s policies and priorities lies at the heart of just what has to be done. To achieve this, an organization has to have a strategy that delivers capabilities which enable the firm to cope with challenges from within the organization itself as well as outside of it. In the case of Subway, this is what enabled the company, small as it was, to be able to stick it out in a market dominated by global players such as the McDonald’s and Burger King. However, once opportunities in the domestic market shrink, it may no longer be tenable to continue pumping resources in such a market. Expansion outside the domestic market becomes the only option for growth. Having a strategic capability ensures that the company’s competitive edge can be sustained into the long run. In the current globalized environment, firms need to grow in order to survive in the market. This growth is difficult to attain due to intense competition. Therefore, organizations need to develop clear strategies that earn them competitive advantages. Otherwise, they will not survive the competition. Organizations need to understand their resources and use them creatively to attain competitive advantages that ensure they brave the competition. It, therefore, calls on the management to come up with sound priorities and strategies which can be achieved in light of resource constraints.