PACS Vendor Checklist
Company Information
Are clients assigned a designated rep to deal with ongoing needs?
Every account has a local representative who serves as the first point of contact for any customer needs.
How is support provided--through a central team or through local VARs?
Stryker customer support starts with the local representative. Additional 24/7 support is available from a team of technical professionals who are all permanent Stryker employees operating out of the division headquarters in Flower
Does the vendor have at least 10 orthopaedic customers who are similar to your practice size? (i.e. 1 Doc, 2-5 Doc, 6-12 Doc, 12-20 Doc, 20+ Doc). Depending on size, clinics require different workflow and hardware requirements--especially regarding servers. Less experienced vendors may sell a downsized solution to compete on price. This often will require you to invest again in 2-3 years to properly support
With over 450 PACS installations nationwide--representing 620 customer sites--Stryker Imaging serves orthopaedic clinics ranging from single physician practices to multi-clinic offices.
Does the vendor have clients in your state?
Please contact your local representative for reference sites in your area.
Is the vendor privately or publicly owned?
Stryker is a publicly traded company.
Has the vendor been in existence at least 5 years?
Stryker has been a major player in orthopedics since the 1940s.
Does the company have designated sites for potential clients to visit in your area?
Stryker has a vast list of reference sites that are available upon request.
How many orthopaedic customers do you have?
Currently Stryker has over 450 customers in the U.S. all of which specialize in orthopaedics.
Can you integrate with our: PMS, EMR, etc.?
Stryker prides itself on integration with DICOM and HL7 standards. We have a long history of integration with
various PMS & EMR vendors.
Are images available via internet?
Through Stryker's RemoteImage images are available via the internet with a username and password.
What modalities will the PACS interface with?
OfficePACS caninterface with MR, CT, CR, DR, US, ES, C-Arm, Fluoroscan, Dexa scanner, Film & Document
Scanners and DICOM Printers
Can I pull my PACS images up on my EMR even though the EMR is not Stryker?
This can be done by the EMR sending a dynamic URL link to OfficePACS, which will respond with the image in
internet explorer on the EMR CPU.
How much can I expect to spend on PACS?
Please contact your local Stryker Imaging representative to get an accurate quote on a PACS system. This varies by
number of providers and locations.
PACS Software
Does the system have a consistent user interface for diagnostic workstations, capture/QA workstations, and remote viewer workstations?
Yes, Stryker's products have a consistent user interface through each product.
Is the HL7 interface engine included? If not, are there additional costs?
There is no cost for Integration with NetPractice PMS software and OrthoPad Electronic Medical Charts.
Does the system support bi-directional integration?
Yes. OfficePACS can send and receive HL7 & DICOM messages.
Provide pricing for a software only package.
Please contact your local Stryker Imaging representative for more pricing information.
Can I import outside CD's (third party DICOM images) in OfficePACS?
Yes. Stryker the ability to import third party DICOM images into OfficePACS for storing and viewing capabilities.
Can the system easily accept HL7 data feeds from a third-party vendor for the purpose of integrating patient demographics and scheduling information for modality work list creation?
Yes. Stryker has completed more integrations with 3rd party vendors than any other orthopedic PACS company.
What functions allow physicians to template, preserve image annotations and collaborate with users who are not on their PACS network?
OfficePACS ViewCapsule allows physicians to export annotations and diagnostic quality images to portable media such as a CD or travel drive. Integration with the Stryker Digital Capture-HD enables surgeons to access preoperative images from the OR.
What formats are available for remote or clinic viewing?
Using RemoteImage technology, OfficePACS provides physicians with access to JPEG images using any computer with an Internet connection. The JPEG format allows users to view patient studies with a standard web browser and does not require installation of special software.
What functions are available remotely? How does that differ from the functionality that is available within the practice?
With OfficePACS RemoteImage technology, physicians have access to images from any computer connected to the Internet. A 'lighter' version of the image viewer provides functionality that is supported by any Windows computer with Internet Explorer: window level, rotate, and zoom.
How many steps are required for remote viewing of images? Include any necessary actions that must be done at the practice for the image to become available.
Utilizing RemoteImage technology, physicians can view patient studies simply by logging on to the RemoteImage website. Patient images are automatically forwarded from OfficePACS to the RemoteImage server where users can log in and securely share images with colleagues. Limited access ensures patient confidentiality.
What functions are available to provide “limited access” to selected images?
OfficePACS can limit what studies are displayed by filtering on physician name.
Online image access via RemoteImage is limited based on user login accounts.
Hardware
Are workstations multifunctional? (i.e.: Can two software packages run concurrently?)
Yes.
Is at least one of the monitors a color monitor?
Yes. Stryker offers both color and grayscale monitors.
What is the resolution of the monitors?
1600 x 1200 resolution on 20" IBM calibrated to DICOM part 14 standards.
Identify the processing speed of the workstations.
Each workstation is equipped with the latest Pentium 4 processor.
Are hardware components proprietary?
No. However to ensure the maximum performance and reliability, Stryker Imaging configures all servers and workstations to meet specific requirements.
Can we use our own workstations?
Because the FDA requires that all hardware running OfficePACS be registered as a Class II medical device, Stryker provides all hardware to meet these necessary configuration requirements. At Stryker, we aim to provide the best service possible and can only guarantee the quality and performance of our equipment.
Are your monitors diagnostic quality?
Yes. All our monitors are calibrated per DICOM part 14 standards.
Can reconstruction and specialized software be integrated into the workstations? (i.e. Can we eliminate extra post-processing workstations in CT and MRI with this PACS solution?)
OfficePACS does not come with reconstruction software but 3rd party software can easily be added and used.
What options are available for different size practices with regards to local storage?
Stryker system would use a 4.2 Terabyte server (12 x 400GB RAID Drive) in house to archive your images. We do not use an off-site facility for storing your images locally, therefore you will never be charged a fee for storing your own
Describe the backup process for remote archiving of image data. Include when data is sent to remote archive and any manual steps involved in the process.
OfficePACS stores all patient images onsite at no cost, ensuring that your practice does not have down time or data loss at any time.
Stryker Imaging also offers customers the option to archive patient data off-site to Stryker data centers located in Dallas, Texas. Off-site backups are automated and made daily after clinic hours.
If it is compressed, what is the compression ratio?
The compression ratio varies depending on image size.
Is it true DICOM stored or is it compressed?
Uncompressed true DICOM data is kept for 90 days in your Immediate Storage Array (ISA). After 90 days, the data is moved to your Archive Storage Array (ASA) and a compressed image is available for immediate review. The true uncompressed DICOM version is always kept and easily retrievable.
What are the requirements for the server room. (i.e.: HVAC, electrical, fire protection, etc.)
Proper ventilation; NEMA L5-30 Locking Outlet and a network/patch panel running at 100Mbps or greater.
What is your technology obsolescence plan for long-term storage?
Stryker offers a long term storage solution through SSL encryption to a data center for secure storage of images and
Are images and headers stored in true DICOM format?
Yes.
Describe your RAID configuration.
Based on the volume and number of studies a configuration can be customized for each practice.
Service and Support
Do you outsource your helpdesk?
No. Technical support for Stryker Imaging is available from a team of technical professionals who are all permanent Stryker employees operating out of the division headquarters in Flower Mound, TX.
What type of server is located in the practice? Who is responsible for local service on that server? What type of response time is offered in the event of an emergency?
Stryker provides 24/7/365 support on all IBM hardware at no charge for 3 years. Through our partnership with IBM, Stryker provides our customers with next business day onsite support for IBM workstations and 24/7 availability with 4 hour telephone response time for IBM server hardware.
How would you service our products?
Stryker Imaging offers next day onsite response by a local Stryker representative.
Software and technical support is also available via remote access. Together with our partners, IBM and FUJIFILM, Stryker Imaging offers nationwide coverage with more service technicians and local representatives than all other orthopaedic PACS vendors combined.
Because we believe in providing a complete solution, Stryker's Technical Assistance Center serves as a single point of contact for your service needs. One call to us is all that's necessary. Our representatives will coordinate with other vendors as required, ensuring your issues are promptly resolved.
Provide local area network requirements needed to optimize the PACS.
Cat 5e and 100Mbps or greater connection to the Local Area Network
Provide wide area network requirements needed to optimize the PACS.
Business class DSL or greater--guaranteed minimum upload connection speed of 768/kbps
What is your training plan for implementation?
Each implementation requires 3 days of hands on applications training to clinic users.
Provide costs associated with additional training not covered in the standard plan.
Additional training can be purchased on a per day basis.
What are the requirements to add additional review stations in the future? Include all hardware limitations and software licensing fees.
All hardware is shipped to Stryker and assembled in-house to ensure every component will work properly, decreasing time spent on-site during installation. A faster install without problems increases ROI. There are never additional licenses for viewing stations and, when subscribing to the Stryker Support and Service Program, all upgrades in software are provided at no cost.
Are there any recurring costs?
The Stryker Service Program can be arranged from monthly to 5 years and is customized to your practice. This Program includes software upgrades.
And while there is no charge for local storage, customers may elect to have Stryker provide an off-site storage solution for a fee based on the amount of data archived.