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Institutions that choose to upgrade or replace their legacy picture archiving and communications system (PACS) are faced with the thorny question of what to do with the historical data stored on the system. In most states, medical providers are required to retain patient medical records for seven years or more after their creation (and even longer in cases where pediatric images are involved), which means that imaging studies need to be preserved beyond the average lifetime of the PACS that archives them.

There are essentially two choices when dealing with legacy PACS data: You can leave the data on the legacy system and maintain it for access by the new system, or you can migrate the data to the new system.

Eventually, as technology continues to advance and new features are added, all medical practices will need to face the reality of upgrading their picture archiving and communications system (PACS). Many legacy PACS are unable to meet the expanding needs and expectations of medical professionals and their patients. That said, the costs of updating software and hardware often eclipse the costs of simply purchasing a new system.

However, finding the right PACS for your practice can be difficult, and making the wrong choice will be a costly mistake. Here are five things you can't afford to forget when you realize it's time for a PACS upgrade.

What device are you reading this on? Smartphone? iPad? Laptop? Chances are, these days you're using your mobile device to access more information than ever.

This newfound availability of information is having a major impact on the medical field, influencing the lives and work of countless patients and doctors. What does this paradigm shift in "mobile culture" look like for your picture archiving and communication system (PACS)?

If you're thinking about riding the wave by adding mobile access and functionality to your PACS, first ask yourself: What would delivering "mobile" look like to your organization, and how are you going to achieve it? Keep reading for some answers.

Are your patients demanding better access to their medical imaging? If they aren't yet, they will be soon. While many patients may not yet be aware that there are better ways to access their studies, changing insurance and healthcare landscapes are putting pressure on patients to play a greater role in controlling their own destiny when it comes to their medical records.

That said, when you're undergoing a PACS upgrade, the ability to easily share medical images with your patients likely hasn't historically been your top priority. It's maybe been a "nice to have" instead of a need. Issues such as electronic health record (EHR) integration and mobile access are paramount for most organizations, with electronic medical image sharing several steps behind.

However, online image sharing is an underrated feature that is growing in demand and has the potential to make both you and your patients very happy. Why is that exactly? Read on to find out.

All technology eventually becomes obsolete, and the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) at your hospital or imaging center is no exception. The average lifetime of a PACS is between three and five years, but if you ignore the warning signs when your PACS medical imaging solution begins to near its end of life, you might find yourself in the midst of a crisis when data loss or other disasters strike. Keeping backups might help restore the lost images, but unless you fix the problems with the outdated PACS itself, you'll still have an aging system and a database that's getting larger and larger.

What's more, if you somehow lose a patient study, you could be exposing your practice to legal consequences when the patient needs access to the study and finds out about the loss.

So, what are the top five signs that your PACS is getting old, and what exactly can you do about it?