PARCA will convert the two entry level exams (Technical and Clinical) into one basic certification – CPAS: Certified PACS Associate. All members who have passed both these exams will receive a certificate soon. This brings the number of Certifications available to PARCA Members to 4. CPAS, CPSA, CPIA and CPSM. Our website will be updated shortly to reflect these new changes.

The PARCA name has been officially changed to PACS Administrators Registry and Certification Association. This is in part to eliminate the ‘Radiology’ concentration and we are hoping to add other specialized certifications in the future, such as Cardiology and Pathology.

There are now close to 200 members registered with PARCA, almost 20 have passed the Clinical entry exam and nearly 15 the Technical. There are 2 members who have passed the CPSA Certification – Congratulations to all of you! The CPIA exam is now live, and we are working on the CPSM Certification, although we do not have a scheduled release date yet. In the near future we will have a link on our website to provide you with up-to-date stats on the numbers of Certified members, etc..

New for PACS 2006 in San Antonio – When you register for this Seminar identify yourself as a PARCA Member and receive a $50 discount!

In our continued efforts to promote PARCA, Ed Smith and Herman Oosterwijk will co-write a article in HI&IT. We are also looking at the possibility of promoting PARCA through user group meetings such as FUJI, AGFA, Siemens etc..

We are following up on several enquiries we have received from our members regarding acknowledgement from ARRT, HIMSS and AHRA. An official letter has been written asking for this acknowledgement and we well let our members know how this situation is progressing.

The introduction of PARCA in February this year has started a lot of discussion which has validated the need for PACS Certification. SCAR are in discussion and defining requirements for their own certifications, although this is not expected to be a fast process and the SCAR System Administrator certifications could still be 2 years away. Informal communications with SCAR board members and members of the education committee have indicated that they do NOT see PARCA as a competitor and are willing to keep an open dialogue with PARCA.

The PARCA Advisory Board will arrange bi-monthly conference calls to follow the fast growth of this organization and to discuss any issues as they arise. We will continue to keep our members up to date on these discussions.