Springfield Hospital of Springfield, Vt., is implementing SmartPACS electronic image acquisition, storage and retrieval technology for its conversion to filmless imaging. A subsidiary of Springfield Medical Care Services, Springfield Hospital is a not-for-profit voluntary rural hospital serving 16 area communities in Southeast Vermont and Southwest New Hampshire.
   
The agreement includes not only PACS design and implementation, but support through the SmartPACS EIMS program. All software upgrades, equipment replacement, technical system and support management, and life-of-product clinical applications training are incorporated in the pay-per-procedure financing and PACS management package, SmartPACS said.
   
The hospital is implementing PACS in two phases, with a go-live implementation of all digital modalities and integration with the CPSI hospital information system already taking place in December. Conversion from conventional x-ray to computed radiography systems also provided by SmartPACS is scheduled for this month. Star.net, SmartPACS web server system, will also be fully deployed.
   
The hospital said its goal is to eliminate 95 percent of its use of x-ray film by the next week.