The 2004 PACSman Awards

Nov 30, 2004

I could have come to the RSNA show this year as an overweight, aging drag queen in a micro-miniskirt and high-top leather boots and not had to worry about being exposed -- because nothing in PACS blew my skirt up at all.

While the number of vendors showing PACS more than doubled from last year (I stopped counting at 400), the sheer number of firms with "me, too" products was surprising. Considering the cost of displaying at the show and the importance of the RSNA exhibit to the future of many participants, the lack of focused marketing on the part of PACS vendors was hard to believe.

One company I talked to asked me about their booth. I said I stopped to look not because of their storyboards, which said absolutely nothing about the company's features and benefits, but by their drawing giveaway (an electric scooter) and their "thanks for listening to our pitch" giveaway (a USB-powered keyboard light that looked surprisingly like an endoscope).

The company's product was actually decent (in fairness to most at the show, almost every product I saw was at least decent), but got lost in the cavern of me-tooism. The battle cry "Just give us 10 minutes to show you how great we are" resounded time and again, but I'd be in Chicago past Christmas trying to make it through the hour-long "10-minute" demos and have nothing to show for it other than a few extra pounds from the chocolate and candies that were given out by nearly everyone.

I've said it time and again: PACS has become a commodities market, in which decisions are made largely before the attendees walk on the RSNA's hallowed blue carpet. And PACS is used as an internal sales-closing tool more than anything. Imaging facilities that have no idea who they will pick will be overwhelmed by the number of choices, yet, if typical, will select one of the dirty dozen who make up over 90% of all PACS installations sold today.

And now the envelope ...

While product descriptions seem to morph into one another, companies are getting better at not messing up too badly, especially with the limited amount of time I had to look at them. Still, there were more than enough entries for this year's PACSman Awards to make the trip worthwhile.

The "Field of Dreams" Award -- "Is this ... heaven? No Ray, it's Iowa."
Walking on 5-inch-thick triple-padded carpet while choosing between cappuccino or fruit smoothies before sitting in plush leather chairs surrounded by fresh flowers might have felt like heaven after a day of pounding the RSNA pavement, but it was merely the booth of the fastest up-and-comer in the PACS marketplace that caught my attention and that of many others. It's amazing what coming up with a spare $100 million in investment funds on top of $50 million obtained the year before will do to the RSNA budget. Now, if they'd just get rid of the fluorescent green logo on their collarless black T-shirts that made them look like they all arrived en masse from Roswell, NM, they'd have it all.

The "Can't Buy Me Love" Award
This goes to the PACS vendors that have designed "consultant relations" programs that they hope will "educate" PACS consultants on their products and increase their involvement in the RFP process. Last time I checked, the role of the PACS consultant was supposed to be to provide informed, objective information to clients, not direct them toward a specific vendor's solution. Still, if you insist on holding a "consultant educational seminar," Europe in the fall beats my hometown of Orlando anytime.

The "Susan Powter 'Stop the Insanity'" Award
This coveted award has several winners this year, for those companies that made significant "investments" that seem to defy all logic, at least in terms of the amounts being paid for the return gained. And if you're going to pay ridiculous sums of money for companies, at least make sure the people responsible for making the company what it was and for keeping it alive over the years get a piece of the pie instead giving it all to the Johnny-come-latelies who seem to have been "preferred" by the investors over the "commoners."

The "Once More With Feeling" Award
Given to one of the above-mentioned companies -- if you can afford $50 million to buy the company out, you can at least change the product theme and storyboards from one year to the next, eh?

The "Is CyberSex Cheating?" Award
To the company that used the words "ongoing commitment" to the marketplace no fewer than half a dozen times in their storyboards, yet bailed on their PACS product with no notification, and left more than 200 clients who invested in their product all dressed up with no place to go.

The "Meat Loaf" Award
To the company that promoted its "Radiologist's Dashboard" by showing a picture of sandals against a car dash. Most of the rads I know read like that -- don't yours? "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights," anyone?

The "New Technology" Award
Kudos to the RSNA for developing its "Virtual Briefcase" concept for planning RSNA schedules through the society's Web site. Now if we could only find a PDA that doesn't give you memory-module failure messages and lose all your ^&%#$ appointments.

The "Finding Your Way" Award
I loved the integrated whistle, compass, magnifying glass, and thermometer giveaway offered by a company that could not only send images between healthcare facilities, homes, and offices, but also to an "undisclosed location" as well. Maybe that's the tie in -- if you don't have an IP address to send the data to, use the compass to find the direction the person is in, blow the whistle, and you'll be connected immediately.

The "Best Swag" Award
Have you noticed that vendors have significantly raised the bar on prizes this year? Six iPods, five DVD players, four French hens, three turtle doves ... and an electric scooter underneath the treeeeeee.

The "Infomercial of the Year" Award
Goes to the company whose digital mammography system promoted increased visualization by 33% and decreased dose by 40%, but prefaced the claims with an asterisk stating "results may vary." Ever hear of averages? All that's missing is the guy in the Hawaiian shirt interviewing the couple on the beach about making millions in real estate with no money down.

The "Lost in Translation" Award
For best use of the word "ubiquitous." This goes to the international company that offered its product called the "Ubiquitous Medical Terminal." Too bad its "ubiquitosity" doesn't extend to the two industry leaders who combined sell over 85% of all display terminals in the medical imaging marketplace today.

See you next year!!!

By Michael J. Cannavo
AuntMinnie.com contributing writer
December 1, 2004

Michael J. Cannavo is a leading PACS consultant and has authored nearly 300 articles on PACS technology in the past 15 years. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of AuntMinnie.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular vendor, analyst, industry consultant, or consulting group. Rather, they should be taken as the personal observations of a guy who has, by his own account, been in this industry way too long.

Part III: Exploring PACS secrets, September 17, 2004

Part II: Exploring PACS secrets, July 6, 2004

Part I: Exploring PACS secrets, May 14, 2004

PACS still a bridesmaid at HIMSS, February 27, 2004

The year of the Uni-PACS: A view from the RSNA floor, December 11, 2003