The PACS developments of the past few years have been primarily focused on the needs of radiology or radiological imaging. In this regard digital diagnosing and archiving are of primary importance; these will be amortized through the reduction of film costs. From the very beginning, Augusta Hospital Bochum together with VISUS Co. has been innovative and also has included the imaging procedures of other departments in the PACS concept.
It was just the year 2000 when private practice radiologists Dr. Emil Reif and Dr. Torsten Möller offered hospitals their diagnostic services. Today, both are managing Diagnostic Network AG, a company with a mission to provide superior, area-wide, round-the-clock, cross-sectional diagnostic imaging by means of teleradiology. Within a space of only five years they have built up an easily accessible computer centre in Dillingen on Saar which is linked to about 50 hospitals and 50 diagnostic centres. Their main focus is on hospitals that lack their own radiology units and welcome this endeavour by two teleradiology visionaries.