What is a PACS System?

PACS stands for Picture Archiving and Communication System .

In a hospital, PACS is the core system used to:

• Store medical images (X‑ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, etc.)
• Display and distribute images to radiologists and clinicians
• Integrate images with patient records in the RIS (Radiology Information System) and EHR (Epic, Cerner, etc.)

Instead of film, PACS allows images to be:

• Acquired digitally from imaging modalities
• Stored centrally (on‑prem, cloud, or hybrid)
• Viewed instantly across the hospital or health system

In short:

PACS is the backbone of medical imaging workflow.

What Does a PACS Administrator Do?

A PACS Administrator is the technical owner and operator of the imaging environment.

Typical responsibilities include:

✅ System Administration

• Configure, maintain, and support the PACS application (in your case, migration from Merge Health → Change/Change Healthcare )
• Manage user access, permissions, and security
• Monitor system performance, uptime, and storage

✅ Imaging Workflow Support

• Ensure smooth image flow from modalities → PACS → radiologist workstations
• Troubleshoot issues with images not arriving, routing correctly, or displaying properly
• Support radiologists, technologists, and clinicians

✅ Integrations & Standards

• Work with DICOM (imaging standard) and HL7 (clinical messaging)
• Support integrations with:
• RIS
• EHR (Epic/Cerner)
• Modality equipment (GE, Siemens, Philips, etc.)
• Partner with vendors during upgrades and migrations

✅ Projects & Upgrades

• Support PACS conversions/migrations (highly relevant for this role)
• Coordinate testing, cutovers, validation, and go‑live support
• Document workflows and procedures

Merge Health → Change Healthcare (Context for Candidates)

From a candidate standpoint, this signals:

• A live or recent PACS migration
• Need for strong vendor coordination
• Experience with enterprise imaging platforms
• Comfort supporting users during transition and change management

This will attract PACS admins who:

• Have led or supported PACS replacements
• Are comfortable in “fix it fast” hospital environments
• Enjoy project‑based work, not just steady‑state support

Common Job Titles for PACS Roles

Hospitals don’t title these roles consistently. When sourcing, you’ll want to look beyond “PACS Administrator.”

🎯 Most Common Titles

• PACS Administrator
• Senior PACS Administrator
• PACS Analyst
• Imaging Systems Administrator
• Radiology Systems Administrator

🔄 Related / Equivalent Titles

• Clinical Systems Analyst – Imaging
• Radiology Applications Analyst
• Imaging Informatics Analyst
• Enterprise Imaging Analyst
• Imaging IT Specialist

🏥 Health System–Specific Variations

• IS Analyst – Radiology
• Clinical Applications Specialist (PACS)
• Medical Imaging Systems Analyst
• Imaging Platform Administrator