Who’s sprained both her ankles more than 5 times? Yep, me: Crutches McSkinner.
As a FORMER long-distance /10K runner, I’ve had some stupid ankle turns while training in the rain and bad weather. I’m remembering the “old days” of landing at the hospital ER/military clinic, getting an X-Ray and watching as the physicians physically placed film up on a lighted box. Since Steve and I lived in so many locations overseas, we had to physically tote our “paper and film” medical records across continents and oceans with each move…very inconvenient.
Not anymore. There’s a cool new system called PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) that allows your X-Rays to be digitally transmitted from computer to computer across thousands of miles.
My client, East Tennessee Medical Group in Alcoa just bought and installed a PACS system, making ETMG the first and only multi-specialty physician group in the greater Knoxville area to have this advanced technology available.
The PACS retrieves, distributes and stores images on computer networks to replace hard copies. In other words, your family physician can view the digital images from multiple locations and better consult with your orthopedic guy, who can also view it at his location, or vice versa. It all translates to better, faster, more informed care after an injury.
So all you clutzes out there, rejoice. PACS can’t keep you from hurting yourselves, but it can help your doctors treat your injuries faster and more accurately.
And pass those crutches!
