The Impact of PACS Technology on Diagnostic Cycle Time

Diagnostic cycle time is defined as the time between the initiation of a diagnostic test and the start of specific therapy indicated by the findings of the test. Timely delivery of treatment may not only improve the outcome of this therapy but also reduce the cost of treatment through efficient resource utilization. The increasingly limited availability of health care dollars and competition between health care providers, both encourage investigation into methods to reduce the diagnostic cycle time. The transfer of medical information over established communication networks may be improved using state of the art electronic technology. A model was developed to investigate the effects of PACS technology on the diagnostic cycle time.