Options

Software

Server software

• Commercial full package
• Kodak, GE, AGFA
• Wide price range, larger systems cost several million dollars
• Requires installation in the facility
  
• Commercial pay-by-study
• Off-site hardware and software management
• Small cost for small institution
• No installation requirements
  
• Open Source (more about open source)
• Test packages which require some modification to be made viable for production
• Moderately time consuming
  
• From Scratch
• Heavily time-consuming
  

We chose Open Source - why?

• Concerns about Commercial
• Expensive - may exceed budget
• Black box - No access to innards of software/hardware, hence no way to modify to fit our system, and no way to maintain security
• Fluid marketplace - Mergers and bankruptcy mean software/hardware may not be supported in the future, or we may be forced to pay significant amounts of money to maintain the existing system
• HIS integration - Often this is an expensive add-on
• Advantages of Open Source
• We can fix bugs and add features as they are identified
• No ongoing software license costs
• Can use standard hardware, hence save costs
• Can share results with other facilities/institutions

Open source packages

•  Malinckrodt Central Test Node
• Programming language: C
• Uses external SQL database
  
• OFFIS Dicom Toolkit
• Programming language: C and C++
• Uses flat text file for data
• Has standalone worklist
  
• UC Davis microPACS - no longer supported