The objective of this study was to determine the differential cost between film-based radiology and a hospital-wide picture archiving and communication system (PACS) implemented all at once. The cash flow and running costs of PACS and film-based operation were measured over an 8-year time horizon. When the hospital-wide PACS was implemented over a short period, there was instant conversion into digital film and archives. The net present value (NPV) for PACS operation is US $1,598,698, whereas the NPV for film-based operation is US $2,083,856, indicating a net saving of US $485,157. The payback period is 4 years. The costs of computed radiography and image plates account for 40% of the initial capital expenditure in PACS implementation, followed by computer hardware (30%) and software (9%) costs. Our experience shows that implementation of hospital-wide PACS all at once can produce cost savings. For hospitals intending to go filmless, this study offers a model for financial evaluation of PACS to help in decision making.
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Acknowledgment
I thank Professor Hsin-Ginn Hwang for his encouragement and advice regarding the content of this paper. I am grateful to Dr. Ta-Yi Huang and Mr. Tsair-Jin Perng for help in PACS design and process reorganization. Thanks also to Dr. Ran-Chou Chen and Dr. Adeline Woan-Chwen Jaw for suggestions about assumptions.
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Fang, YC., Yang, MC. & Hsueh, YS. Financial Assessment of a Picture Archiving and Communication System Implemented all at Once. J Digit Imaging 19 (Suppl 1), 44–51 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-006-0632-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-006-0632-6