When there is a medical complication that doctors cannot see or diagnose on the surface, other tests may need to be performed. Depending on the type of problem that the patient has, they may request a variety of tests. CT scans and blood tests are very common, but only give a number of diagnoses. Therefore, there is another procedure that many doctors will request to get an inside view of the body.

MRI scanning will allow doctors to see the entire body on the inside, which can help them to find and treat problems much more easily. The magnets in the machine are designed to excite the protons in your body, and when they respond, the image of your internal organs, tissues, and muscles results. Having this scan done can find a variety of medical problems that are not otherwise able to be diagnosed or treated.

An MRI will cost you, though. If your insurance covers the scan or part of it, you'll pay far less than those without insurance. The cost for this test is between $600 and $3500 on average. The cost you pay will depend on your insurance, but also on where you have the scan done. Also, if you choose to have a wide open MRI instead of a traditional one, you will pay more because of the new technology.

Wide open MRIs work the same as traditional MRIs, but the patient is not in an enclosed tube. This lessens the fear and anxiety of having MRI scans done, and makes people more likely to get the test done.

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Without the latest PACS workstations, your health care facility may still be operating in the 20th Century. PACS systems actually began making their appearance in major hospitals in the early 1990s, of course - and at that time, only major hospitals could afford them. However, this is no longer the case; the same economic and technological trends that have exerted downward pressures on the cost of personal computing equipment has done the same for PACS workstations, meaning that such equipment is now more affordable than ever.

Familiar, User-Friendly Technology

PACS workstations are part of integrated PACS systems. The acronym "PACS" stands for Picture Archive and Communication System; its primary function is to create and store medical images made from a range of modalities that include MRI, EEG, CAT scans and even old-fashioned X-Rays. These images can be called up and viewed at radiology or mammography workstations, which operate in very much the same way as your personal computer at home. In fact, PACS workstations are essentially PCs that are tied into PACS systems; the only difference is the software used. This software is easy to use however, and allows users to save medical images into archives along with other patient records. These can be configured in any number of ways by the system administrator. Furthermore, PACS systems allow such records to be shared with authorized parties over a LAN or the World Wide Web, while 128-bit encryptions protects records from prying eyes.

Every Health Care Professional Can Benefit

Whether it is a radiology, cardiology or mammography workstation, PACS systems are highly adaptable for a wide range of purposes. Regardless of the specialty of area of medicine, virtually every clinic and hospital can benefit from having a PACS system in place. There are even such systems designed for veterinarians and dental professionals!

More Affordable Than Your Think

It's true that historically, these systems and the PACS workstations that go with them have been costly. Today however, it is possible for virtually any health care facility to have a complete system installed for as little as $5000 - and since PACS workstations are essentially specialized PCs, it is possible to incorporate some of the equipment already available.


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Unless you have practicing medicine in a very isolated part of the world for the past two decades, you are aware of how digital imaging has changed the field of health care - and how mammography workstations are making it easier and faster to diagnose life-threatening disease with greater accuracy than ever before. What you may not know is that the Picture Archive and Communications, or PACS systems that are at the heart of the digital imaging revolution are now easier to afford than ever before, thanks to the dramatic decreases in the cost of computer hardware and digital storage media. This means that every health care facility can - and should - have its own mammography workstation.

You Already Know How To Use It

All PACS workstations - are based on the same essential PC technology with which you are already familiar. The only difference is in the software required for viewing DICOM image files and the need for an exceptionally high-resolution monitor. Beyond this however, clinics and hospitals that have PACS systems in place can add any number of PACS workstations.

Support For Multiple Modalities

The beauty of PACS systems is that it is possible to view medical images made in a variety of modalities, including MRI, EEG, EKG, CT and even X-rays. PACS workstation software allows you to see these images in a higher resolution than every before - and even see images of internal organs in virtual 3-D space as you would a CAD model. These virtual models can even be color coded for greater clarity.

They're Affordable

The Radiology Department of the Ohio State University Medical Center was among the first health care and treatment facilities that installed PACS systems nearly twenty years ago. Since that time, it is estimated that the use of PACS workstations have saved the center well over $1 million and thousands of hours of labor. At that time however, such systems were very costly, as were the computer hardware on which PACS workstations were run.

Today, your clinic or small hospital can have its own PACS system complete with mammography workstations at as little as $5000, thanks to the dramatic fall in the costs of computer hardware. There are several different models from which to choose, and most such systems are easily upgraded - so you can start out small and add to the system over time as funding permits. There is no reason not to take advantage of the technological benefits of a mammography workstation.



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