The development of your PACS depends on the individual needs of your facility. The Thomas Group is experienced in asking you the right questions to determine the true needs of the hospital.

	How many workstations do you want?
	How many workstations do you need?
	What type of archive is best for your facility?
	What is your current network?
	Is your equipment DICOM?
	Is your equipment worklist ready?
	Is there a teleradiology network in place?
	How do you plan to phase in PACS?

These are just a few of the many questions that we ask. In developing your system, it is also important to research the dynamics of any outside affiliations you currently have.

	Does the hospital own remote locations that will need to be interfaced through the PACS?
	What are the requirements of these locations?
	Are there other issues that we need to address?

After we have gathered the answers, we will then develop custom system diagrams for your facility that are vendor neutral. These diagrams include how your medical equipment needs to be connected to the PACS and the equipment you want included in your PACS. Typically, we develop three diagrams. The first diagram outlines your digital modalities with respect to the PACS. The second diagram outlines how your plain film, rad rooms, etc. are going to be converted to digital images. The third diagram outlines any future considerations, i.e., future archive expansion.  The purpose and importance of creating accurate diagrams is to develop a clear understanding of the PACS that will meet your needs and maximize your investment.