Dr. Horii
is a Professor of Radiology and the Clinical Director of Medical
Informatics, the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center,
Philadelphia, PA.
Increasingly, radiology practices are deciding to add to an
existing picture archiving and communications system (PACS) or to
change PACS vendors entirely. These are among the most challenging
transitions a radiology practice will ever face. This article will
discuss why it maybe desirable to upgrade a PACS, how to manage the
project, and some pitfalls to watch out for.
Adding to a PACS
The decision to add to a PACS is often driven by imaging
subspecialties. Existing PACS often fail to meet the needs of
radiologists who interpret ultrasound or nuclear medicine studies,
for example. An ultrasound system must be able to handle not just
color imaging but multiple cine loops, Doppler wave forms, and
other complex tasks that PACS supplied by the major vendors often
don't handle. Nuclear medicine studies involve similar challenges,
particularly in the mathematical analysis of images. Cardiology is
also placing new demands on PACS, as cardiologists have different
requirements from radiologists when interpreting images. At the
same time, new capabilities for advanced visualization may drive
the need to add to or change a PACS.
Upgrading is difficult because the PACS interacts with
so many other systems and devices. There are a tremendous number of
interfaces involved, and that complexity affects information
flow. Network loads may change, for example, and a larger
amount of storage may be needed. Studies may begin to incorporate
new images, as advanced imaging techniques enable radiologists to
create 3-dimensional (3D) series from data that was already part of
the image acquisition.
Similarly, new imaging equipment raises new issues. If
cardiology is being integrated into the PACS, images should
flow to the archive directly from the angiography
systems. To do that, it is necessary to interface with equipment in
the catheterization laboratory. Table 1 summarizes some tips for
adding to a PACS.
Avoiding pitfalls
PACS and radiology information systems (RIS) do not exist as
stand-alone systems. They interface with a number of other systems,
including hospital information systems, pharmacy systems,
admission-discharge-transfer systems, billing systems, and others.
Software and hardware changes have the potential to affect the way
those interfaces operate.
It is critical to consider how information will move among
several PACS. Should we go back to the old store-and-forward days
of routing images to where they're needed? How do we do that with
different kinds of PACS? How do we get the information where it's
needed, when it’s needed?
At a minimum, interfaces usually require the setting of
parameters by both vendors involved. The software on both sides of
the interface is expecting certain behavior and data across that
interface, and is sensitive to very small changes.
When managing interface changes, keep in mind that vendors
generally accept responsibility only for their hardware and
software and for managing their side of any interface. They will
not be responsible for what is on the other side of the interface,
unless an agreement to that effect has been negotiated or the same
vendor manufactures both pieces of equipment.
The process of installing a new system, new software release, or
new hardware usually results in downtime. Management of this
process is important because it affects all users. Be aware that a
system that worked perfectly during testing can still develop
problems during installation. It is unlikely that any vendor can
exactly reproduce your system configuration for
testing.
There are many stories of major problems that developed after
the addition of a new system or a change in software on an existing
system. Usually, the systems themselves work, but the interface
fails. For example, when we installed a new CT scanner at the
University of Pennsylvania, the PACS stopped acquiring images. Both
devices were DICOM conformant, but the network interface had been
set for a particular scanner. When we changed that scanner, we had
to change the parameters on the network interface to suit the
performance of the new machine.
To avoid such problems, it is essential to completely understand
the projected work flow and movement of information
across the interfaces between systems, especially between a new
PACS and the existing one. There must be a strict policy in place
covering any changes and upgrades. Vendors should understand the
policy and sign off on it. Such an agreement can avoid the common
problem of a vendor who performs preventive maintenance on a
scanner and, without the explicit consent of the radiologist, also
installs some new software. Often it is only when the scanner stops
sending images to the PACS that the radiologist becomes aware of
the software upgrade.
Consider having a test system that enables the testing of
changes before they are actually implemented in operational systems.
As mentioned earlier, this will not catch all of the little,
irritating problems that might occur, but it will catch the big
ones that prevent the system from operating.
Understand that knowledge is power. A radiologist who is
knowledgeable about the interfaces between systems, what those
interfaces do, and what information flows across them is
in a much better position to determine whether a new system is
likely to impact an existing system.
It is also important to understand that interfaces have both
upstream and downstream dependencies. A change on one side may
affect the way devices operate on the other side.
Changing to a new PACS
If adding to an existing PACS is challenging, changing to a new
PACS vendor is daunting. Many radiology departments are doing just
that, however. There are several reasons why. A vendor may go out
of business or be purchased by another company, for example. In
addition, an existing PACS may no longer support the department’s
current work, or it may not expand to meet new needs. If the PACS
cannot handle the advanced visualization needed for cardiac
imaging, a new PACS may be needed.
A corporate decision may drive the change to a new PACS. If the
hospital is purchased by a larger entity, hospital administration
may sign an exclusive purchase agreement with a particular vendor.
One radiology practice may take over an existing one with a very
large installed base. A new radiology chairman may have a preferred
system and initiate the change in the PACS vendor.
The University of Pennsylvania has changed PACS vendors 3 times.
The first time, the vendor for our ultrasound mini-PACS
left the business. Our main PACS vendor could not handle ultrasound
images in the way we needed, so we had to make a change to a new
ultrasound mini-PACS. In another case, our health system
established an exclusive relationship with a single imaging
equipment vendor, and we were required to change vendors for our
departmental PACS. We eventually changed back when the new system
could not meet our needs.
Challenges
There is no question that changing to a new PACS is painful. The
most intense pain does not come from the capital costs. Nor does it
come from the need to dispose of old equipment or to part ways with
the existing vendor.
What is really difficult is the migration of multiple
terabytes of data that reside in an existing archive. This may seem
puzzling. We can store and retrieve DICOM images, so why can’t we
easily retrieve DICOM objects? Many PACS store DICOM attributes in
proprietary database tables, reassembling the DICOM objects only
when they are requested. Vendors do this because it optimizes
system performance. Remember, DICOM was designed for the
communication of images, not as a database format.
Typical database problems include irregularities in patient
names. Is Homer Simpson the same person as Homer J. Simpson? What
about Homer Simson, spelled without the
p,
who has a different identification number but the same
birth date and the same address? Are they all the same person?
What about a head CT study that actually contains images of the
head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis? What about studies that were
entered into the database with incorrect order or request numbers?
And what about studies that were stored on read-only memory but
whose attributes were updated after the initial image acquisition?
When those studies are read off the disc, they will come back with
the older values in the DICOM headers.
There are numerous other examples, all with some sort of
information mismatch. During the migration progress, each of these
will need either manual intervention or processing through
additional software.
As might be expected, interfaces present special problems. All
interfaces between the new PACS and other information systems and
imaging equipment will, at the least, need to be tested. In
addition, a new round of interface license fees may be imposed by
other vendors, for example, the RIS vendor.
The phasing out of old equipment can create another problem,
particularly if the new PACS installation runs behind schedule. In
our case, we had been observing archive failures resulting from
mechanical problems in the existing jukebox. We didn’t
fix the problems because we expected the new system to be
in place before the existing system failed completely.
Unfortunately, we missed the target date for installation of the
new PACS. Archive failures began to occur with increasing frequency
and began to affect clinical operation.
At that point, it was unclear who would handle problems with the
existing system during changeover. The old system vendor was no
longer under service contract, and the new system vendor was not
enthusiastic about paying to repair a system it was going to
replace. It took several months of negotiation with both vendors to
get the situation resolved. In the end, we had support of both
systems.
Recommendations
Based on our experience, it is wise to get a “prenuptial
agreement” from the PACS vendor (Table 2). This agreement should
provide for guaranteed access to the database and the data. If a
vendor is going out of business, it is important to get the
database schema from them before they shut down. Details of all
intersystem interfaces are also needed, including all DICOM and HL7
messages and their content.
The agreement should include an option to continue service
contracts on a month-to-month basis, with cost constraints. Service
should be on the same terms as during the system’s active life. If
service had been available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it should
continue at this level as long as the system is in clinical
use.
The agreement should also provide for guaranteed engineering
support during the transition, including a commitment to work with
the new vendor. Such service will not be free of charge, but it is
wise to negotiate a schedule of charges in advance.
No matter how information migration is managed-whether by the
existing vendor, the new vendor, or a third party-provision should
be made for DICOM objects that contain private groups and elements.
Private DICOM groups are permitted in the DICOM standard, and many
vendors use them. Ideally, a storage system will store these and
return them on request. Determine how these will be migrated to the
new system. Make sure the vendor does not simply discard private
DICOM groups.
Establish realistic and firm change-over dates, as
well as contingency plans in case those dates are missed. This
should include an agreement about who will pay for service of the
old system if changeover dates are not met.
Consider changing the disaster recovery backup to a DICOM media
storage application profile system. Store all information
as DICOM files and DICOM objects, rather than in
proprietary formats. Consider using a vendor-independent storage
solution that supports different vendors’ PACS. There are commercial
vendors that provide such products, and some of the main PACS
vendors can do so as well, upon request (and payment of the cost of
such options).
Be prepared for failures of the old system before completing
changeover to the new system, and know how to handle those
failures. Do not ignore maintenance of the old system. Continue to
check that backup systems are working.
Don’t count on reusing old PACS hardware. Not only is the old
hardware likely to be obsolete, it will be needed when the old
system is run in parallel with the new system during testing and
startup. In addition, if the original PACS was acquired through an
operating lease, the equipment must be returned to the original
vendor unless a purchase agreement is negotiated.
Consider beginning database conversion well in advance of
changeover. Set a target for the amount of data to be converted
prior to the changeover, typically 1 to 2 years’ worth, with the
rest converted on either an ad hoc basis or in a background
process.
Determine who will perform database clean-up and how it will be
paid for. If health system staff will be doing the clean-up,
consider negotiating a charge-back rate to cover labor.
Considering having a database survey done ahead of time to
determine how many problems exist in the database. This will
provide perspective on how difficult the changeover is
likely to be.
It will likely be necessary to run parallel systems for a while.
Determine who will pay for the extra network infrastructure and
hardware that may be needed to support a network that is twice its
usual size.
If the change in PACS is a result of a decision by the health
system or hospital administration, make sure they are aware of the
full costs associated with making the change and are willing to
support those costs.
Finally, appoint an “informatics historian” who will record the
dates of all systems and hardware installations, keep track of all
software version descriptions, and maintain a record of problems,
as well as their follow-up and resolution. Such records are
extremely valuable and have saved some institutions
significant expenses on service contracts.
Conclusion
Adding a PACS to an existing enterprise is not a trivial
endeavor. It requires knowledge and planning, chiefly
with regard to interfaces and data flow. It is possible
to minimize the negative impact of a PACS addition, but it is
difficult to completely eliminate it. A change in PACS
vendors is, without question, painful. The most effective way to
minimize the pain is to thoroughly plan for the change and prepare
for all that it will entail.