Setting the Record Straight

PACSman: It took about three to four days before the calls started coming. “We aren’t very pleased with Mr. Cannavo’s comments about us.” The calls started and the plotting began. You- get the wooden stake. You- find the right mallet. And you- find a hit man who can do a job on the Anti-Christ here. And through it all, including the inevitable call from Ms. P. asking me what she should tell those asking questions about this posting, all I could think about was that silly early 80’s movie Stripes. You know the one, with Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy, et.al. and that memorable scene between Psycho and Sgt. Hulka.

Psycho: The name's Francis Soyer, but everybody calls me Psycho. Any of you guys call me Francis, and I'll kill you.
Leon: Ooooooh.
Psycho: You just made the list, buddy. And I don't like nobody touching my stuff. So just keep your meat-hooks off. If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you. Also, I don't like nobody touching me. Now, any of you homos touch me, and I'll kill you.
Sergeant Hulka: Lighten up, Francis.

So to those who see me as the Anti-Christ because I dare make suggestions about (OMG! Gasp!!)change I offer these three words - “Lighten up, Francis.”

Before I submitted what I wrote I read, re-read and re-read my reread to make sure I put as positive a spin on things as I could. This is a blog site and not a journal page. So why the uproar? Got me, but if I were a betting man I would say that people are just way too sensitive about ANY press that isn’t Pollyanna sugar-coated positive.

The powers that be need to go back a re-read this blog posting again. Sure I talked about numbers and how most focus on quantity over quality (which when you get to be my age is not an important feature) and said “Most shows promote quantity over quantity. Why they do this is anyone’s guess because it is simply wrong. As one vendor told me: “I’d rather have 10 qualified leads that 1,000 whom I have to educate from the start.” Is saying that certain trade shows don’t market themselves properly considered wrong? Mea culpa then…but I did say how you need to market instead and even cited an example from a vendor friend of mine (and yes, I do have a few remaining in this industry). I also ended this on a positive note as well: “For the most part the RSNA has proven to be a very good show for most PACS vendors despite the costs and numbers game being played.” Maybe had I said “all” instead of “most” it would have gone over better. Ya think?

This isn’t the first time I’ve given HIMSS a spanking for ignoring PACS and won’t be the last either. Frankly I’m at a loss on how radiology can get HIMSS’ attention. If I thought that putting the leadership of HIMSS through a session with Mistress Margo in the Dungeon of Doom with her black whip and high heeled boots would do it, I’d pop for the expense, but somehow that doesn’t seem like the answer - or maybe it is. All I know is while several PACS companies have discussed not going to HIMSS or at least scaling back their presence, few are willing to take that chance because at HIMSS they can actually get the IT managers’ attention. Why? Read again..."The dynamics of the PACS decision making has significantly changed in the past few years. Where radiology departments once stood apart from other clinical systems and with them the way decisions surrounding the vendor of choice were made, now nearly half (and in some cases more) of the final decision on the PACS vendor of choice falls to the IT department. And where does IT go to gets its information? Largely from HIMSS...". Now just being at HIMSS and getting IT managers’ attention are two entirely separate animals, but as Woody Alan once said, “80% of success is just showing up.” I’m sure even the most challenged marketing departments can figure out how to make up the remaining 20%, but if not, give me a call and I’ll show you how. And for the record, I did give HIMSS a pat on the back while I was kicking them in the a$$ as well, saying "Why not bring the trade show to the end user just as HIMSS is doing with its virtual conferences and expos?"

SIIM. What does the PACSMan possibly know about SIIM? Besides being one of the original members of SCAR way back when and active in it for several years back when Sam Dwyer (God bless his soul) and Ron Schilling and others were involved, absolutely nothing (laugh).

Now let’s set the record straight - I like SIIM, I like the members in SIIM, and SIIM is the pre-eminent PACS organization in this market and I said as much too. SIIM has also made several strides in the past year to make its annual show a lot more end-user and vendor-friendly which I applaud. These include having 11 hours of unopposed time in the Exhibit Hall (not having this was a biggie with vendors in previous years), new roundtable discussions (which our illustrious Ms P was invited to be a part of), private demo rooms, a networking lounge and much more.

I never said that any of these shows sucked or wouldn’t survive. Never. The closest I came to implying or inferring there would even be change necessary was my comment "The question is not so much will trade shows survive but in what form and function?" Read it as it was intended. Yes, trade shows WILL survive but they need to adapt to these changing times. And unlike many who simply bitch about a problem without offering a solution, I offered several possible solutions as well. Read back. Those were obviously my thoughts and perspectives and people don’t have to agree with them. Truth be known some don't (but many do). That said the last time I checked there was just my mug and Miss P’s on the masthead and no one else’s. Anyone is free to express their feelings on in the comment section- it's open to all- or if you feel strongly enough make a post on your own web site. I'll visit it if I hear about it and may even comment on it too. After all this is America and she is a berry good country allowing things like free speech.

So to all those who want to kill the messenger instead of listening to the message I offer yet more insight from Stripes. Substitute the word Army for PACS or Imaging and you get the idea. We are all different and all share the same visions - we just have different ideas of how to get there.

John Winger: Cut it out! Cut it out! Cut it out! The hell's the matter with you? Stupid! We're all very different people. We're not Watusi. We're not Spartans. We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts! Here's proof: his nose is cold! But there's no animal that's more faithful, that's more loyal, more lovable than the mutt. Who saw "Old Yeller?" Who cried when Old Yeller got shot at the end?
[raises his hand]
John Winger: *sarcastically* Nobody cried when Old Yeller got shot? I'm sure.
[hands are reluctantly raised]
John Winger: I cried my eyes out. So we're all dogfaces, we're all very, very different, but there is one thing that we all have in common: we were all stupid enough to enlist in the Army. We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers. But we're American soldiers! We've been kicking ass for 200 years! We're 10 and 1! Now we don't have to worry about whether or not we practiced. We don't have to worry about whether Captain Stillman wants to have us hung. All we have to do is to be the great American fighting soldier that is inside each one of us. Now do what I do, and say what I say. And make me proud.