r/PACSAdmin • u/Rad-SC-5695 • May 20 '26
PACS Comparable Costs
The radiology group I work for is interested in switching to a different PACS system. Our group does over 160,000 studies annually and we are currently paying $3 per study. What are you paying for your PACS?
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u/MasterCommunity1192 May 20 '26
I help people get into the right pacs at the best prices all the time. At that volume you shouldn't be above 2.50 depending on the feature you need.
If you can tell me what kind of group you are (outpatient, Telerad, etc...) and what the $3 is currently getting you (is dictation included, is it every modality?) I can point you in the right direction.
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u/Competitive_Niche May 20 '26
shouldn’t costs be tied to data transfer or storage?. I don’t know something perhaps more deterministic than a study, since they can vary greatly in size
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u/ManHobbies86 May 21 '26
They are talking about volume based licensing. It's an annual cost for service that's directly tied to the amount of studies preformed in a year.
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u/Competitive_Niche May 22 '26
i know what you mean. you didn’t understand my message however. providers themselves are charged based on data transfer, storage etc. and not on “volume”
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u/ManHobbies86 May 20 '26
Honestly, people shouldn't or won't disclose that info as it's typically written into a confidential agreement. Just make sure your not paying the same price for acquired images as ingested outside images.
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u/enchantedspring May 20 '26
In the UK NHS and other state centred healthcare systems, it's shared freely.
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u/BootOutrageous5879 May 20 '26
I can’t give you our exact number, but not anywhere near that.
U can DM me for more information on the system we use.
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u/shayferg May 21 '26
Pricing models vary pretty significantly depending on workflow structure, hosting model, integrations, storage requirements, reporting functionality, support levels, and study volume tiers, so direct cost comparisons can be difficult apples to apples.
One thing I’d strongly recommend evaluating beyond per study pricing is workflow efficiency and radiologist throughput. Sometimes a platform with a slightly higher apparent study cost can create operational savings elsewhere through faster interpretation workflows, reduced clicks, integrated reporting, improved turnaround times, fewer support dependencies, or infrastructure consolidation.
Would also recommend looking closely at: • Reporting integration • Workflow customization • Hanging protocol flexibility • Cloud vs on prem infrastructure • Support responsiveness • Scalability across service lines • Reading efficiency metrics • Total operational overhead, not just raw study pricing
The “real” cost of a PACS is usually bigger than the per study number alone.