As more sites transition to EHR, what challenges are being faced? This was mentioned in the slides, but not looked into more deeply.

    In today's environment, picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) is a necessary purchase for hospitals when trying to reduce report turn around times for radiology and echocardiology.  In addition, new technology (check out http://www.vidistar.com/) has come out that allows physicians, like cardiologists, to remotely read echos using DICOM structured, standardized reporting software that helps ensure ICAEL accreditation, a must for United and other managed care organizations come Spring 2009.  When making purchases, health care administrators need to look at more than the technological imperative when making purchasing decisions, and they need to review the economic benefits, compliance to standards, managed care requirements, accreditation, and above all the capital as well as ongoing service costs associated with PACS technology.