ABSTRACT
A discussion on Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) is closely intertwined with the hospital information system (HIS), the overarching infrastructure for storing, viewing, and communicating the clinical data (see Figure 8.1). Starting in the 1960s, HIS was initially used for billing and accounting services, and HIS’s capabilities have since grown considerably into the following areas: clinical care (e.g., medical chart review, computerized physician order entry, clinical protocol and guideline implementation, and alerts and reminders); administrative management (e.g., scheduling, billing, admission/discharge/ transfer tracking); and as a data repository for clinical notes, discharge summaries, pharmacy orders, radiology reports, laboratory and pathology results, as well other structured information (Branstetter, 2007; Bui and Taira, 2010). Refer to Chapter 17 for a complete discussion on HIS.
