The system is now fully integrated into every LHD after a four-year rollout.
Western NSW LHD and Far West LHD are the last two NSW health districts to implement the statewide medical imaging platform Radiology Information Systems and Picture Archiving & Communications System (RIS-PACS), completing a rollout that began in 2020.
James Harvey, general manager of WNSWLHD’s imaging services, said RIS-PACS had gone live in the district in August 2023, and, 110,000 examinations later, was now fully implemented.
“For the medical imaging teams, the new RIS-PACS has enabled us to increase efficiency and accountability in our workflows,” said Mr Harvey.
The RIS-PACS team also supported WNSWLHD’s mobile computer tomography service by integrating multiple imaging and archive systems into one centralised platform. This provided the digital storage space needed to host large volumes of CT data.
“Now that the mobile CT service is linked to RIS-PACS, clinicians can access scans and reports with very little delay, providing added benefits to our patients when being transferred for higher level care,” said Mr Harvey.
Since launching in 2020, RIS-PACS has supported the migration of more than 28 million historical images across 86 hospitals, including the integration of 1500 pieces of speciality imaging equipment.
The program rollout wrapped up earlier this year and has transitioned to “business as usual”.
