Although I’ll be discussing PAs from my perspective, I also want to offer the opportunity for both seasoned PAs (6 months plus) and newer PAs (less than 6 months) to provide their insights and experiences, both to my comments and their own dealings with PACS. And to those who would like to prepare for opportunities to become a PA, please provide your specific questions and concerns as well. I will take this input and construct a future column that highlights my findings and further discusses this topic about which so many are passionate.
To begin, let’s start with the subject of new PACS installations. A definite market trend today is that administrators of hospitals everywhere, regardless of the facility’s size or location, are realizing that they cannot continue to operate successfully without moving to this digital technology. From the overall delivery of healthcare imaging services to the access of radiologist services, PACS is becoming a “must have.”
From a budget standpoint, it is imperative that you have a plan to provide project and ongoing user support. I also am a firm believer that the sooner you decide who your PA will be, the sooner that person should become involved in the process. A PA who was part of the initial PACS committee, vendor selection, system design, and site visits has been a very strong asset to my PACS projects.
As an aside, I must note that in some financially challenged projects, the PA was not able to be identified and hired ahead of time. However, if the facility hires the appropriate talent for this role, the handicap that the PA has coming into the PACS implementation should be overcome, and the PA will knock the cover off the ball during the “make it work” portion of the PACS implementation. So, as a disqualifier, as with anything, talented people can adapt to a challenging situation and shine, even if they come in late.
Your Questions Answered
Q: I find your columns in Medical Imaging to be very helpful, and I have a quick question. I currently work as a radiology equipment field engineer and would like to make the switch into PACS, hopefully as an administrator. Could you tell me if this is possible and, if so, what training path I should take? Any advice would be much appreciated.
? Reader wishes to remain anonymous
A: Without a couple of facts, it is tough to answer your question. If you work for a company that sells PACS, then you need to migrate to a role that includes PACS service. The company will provide training, and your customers will provide experience. It also depends on what modalities you service?if basic X-ray, ultrasound, or nuclear medicine, you might want to try to migrate to CT or MRI, provided that your company sells these products or services. Another option would be to see if you can secure an IT position at any of your customer’s hospitals. It is very important to establish a work ethic with a “can-do” attitude. Also, it’s important to have knowledge of as many modalities as possible, knowledge of other nonradiology clinical applications, an understanding of the radiology workflow, interpersonal skills, and networking expertise. Use your reputation to get a foot in the door with a facility, and let its managers know that you are the candidate whom they are seeking.
Every PA should know exactly what their PACS vendor can do?and, more importantly, what that vendor cannot do?as well as how those factors affect their healthcare-delivery needs. This knowledge becomes especially amplified when a PA is put in a position to manage a situation where the product cannot perform certain functions?but other PACS solutions can?and the radiologists or referring community have had exposure to those other solutions. Depending on the timing of the implementation, the solution that your facility purchased, and the vendor, products today deliver more of what was promised than in the past. Vendors have changed platforms, and they continue to deliver product-enhancement software upgrades.
If you are a nonhealthcare person who wants to move into this field or an information technology (IT) person who is not familiar with the ins and outs of radiology, your challenge becomes how to prepare and educate yourself to be a candidate for a PA position. As a healthcare IT employee, your existing track record of performance will be key to opening a door in radiology.
In previous articles, I have discussed the key skill sets required of a PA. (See “PACS Administration: A Second Take” in January 2006 and “PACS Administration: The Who, What, Where, When, and How” in August 2005.) One of these keys is to show how you have acquired and demonstrated these skills. Knowledge of radiology is very useful. If a radiologist is looking at a study with eight series and wants to explain how he or she wants to display them for viewing, or if a clinician says that he or she wants to display all three planes with a reference line in the scout or in the reference plane?you need to know what they are requesting. The most complicated requests are coming from MR and CT, and these requests will continue to be more complicated. Therefore, the more you can understand and facilitate the management of this data, the more it is likely that you will be a person who can fulfill this critical role.
PACS administration is a very difficult, 24/7 job that is not for everyone. It will entail daily problems and, most likely, very little praise. In addition, the success of being 100% soft-copy read and digitally streamlined is highly contingent upon your ability to make things work the way they should or the way you planned.
Do you have a question for Michael Mack?
Do you have a question for Michael Mack that you’d like to see answered here in “Informatics Report”? Email your questions to .
In my December 2005 column, “The Year in Review,” I described my Christmas wish list. Now, I would like to hear from PAs?what dream gifts would you like to receive and/or see? If you are a PA or are interested in becoming a PA, please take a moment to complete a brief online survey to further discuss your experiences. The survey link can be found at Informatics Survey.
Michael Mack is VP of business development at The Thomas Group Ltd (Anaheim, Calif). Having more than 20 years of experience in the medical imaging industry, Mack now specializes in PACS planning and implementation.
