Planning an enterprisewide PACS: the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal experience.

This exhibit reflects the experience accumulated in our 3-year process at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, beginning with the planning of the project and culminating in the choice of a PACS provider. Although the technical requirements represent a major consideration, organizational and functional aspects of PACS planning and implementation are discussed. The purpose is not to single out a particular PACS vendor, since the local conditions surrounding each PACS project (both hospital and vendor specific) are variable. Successful implementation of a PACS in any institution requires adequate planning and considerable foresight. We describe our approach and discuss the difficulties and pitfalls encountered during our planning phase that led up to implementation.