Technology that allows physicians and technicians to see a patient's x-rays on a computer screen and promises even safer, more efficient care is being implemented in three SSM Health Care-St. Louis hospitals with completion set for November.

The technology, called Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), is being implemented at SSM St. Joseph Health Center-St. Charles; SSM St. Joseph Hospital West and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center this month. Implementation will begin at SSM St. Mary's Health Center in September. SSM DePaul Health Center and SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood will begin implementation next year.

PACS replaces traditional x-ray films with digital images that can be instantly accessed from any computer in a hospital or from a secure site on the Internet. Additionally, physicians whose offices are not located on a hospital campus can access x-rays and other medical images from their computers at the office or at home through a password-protected Web site. The biggest advantages for patients: Less waiting and fewer chances that x-rays could be lost or mislabeled.

"By decreasing the time it takes for physicians to get critical information, this system reduces the time it takes physicians to diagnose and treat patients," said Dr. Richard Vaughn, medical director for PACS.

PACS is the first part of a larger, more comprehensive SSMHC initiative known as Project Beacon. The second part of Project Beacon is implementation of an electronic health record system, which will begin with SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood in early 2008 and will be in place at SSMHC-St. Louis' new hospital, SSM St. Clare Health Center, when it opens in December 2008.

The electronic health record will mean the end of paper patient charts. It will enable SSMHC-St. Louis to keep lab results, medical images and patient care instructions and notes in one electronic file that can be accessed from computers anywhere in the hospitals or through a secure Web site. The electronic record will be accessible not only by physicians and other caregivers, but also by patients themselves.

"Having that information at your finger tips dramatically improves efficiency, which in turn means better patient care," said Dr. Vaughn. "It's a tremendous leap forward."

The electronic health record also means safer care for patients. With just one record being updated by all caregivers, there will be fewer chances for errors.

"The most important gain will be that physicians and caregivers will have all of the information they need, when they need it, and at the right time," Dr. Vaughn said. "It truly can mean the difference between life and death."