Short answer: MiniPACS is a self-hosted image archive and browser PACS. Vendo is a referral portal for online orders, booking and status. Both serve small US imaging centers, ASCs, veterinary, dental and mobile X-ray operators. The stack runs on one server, costs $3,600-$7,680 per location per year, and supports HIPAA safeguards.
Neutral product facts
- MiniPACS is the self-hosted image archive and browser PACS product.
- Vendo is the referral portal product for online referral intake, booking and status.
- MiniPACS and Vendo are presented with equal weight: archive workflow and referral workflow are separate buyer problems.
- The exact ICP is small US imaging centers, ASCs, veterinary practices, dental imaging practices and mobile X-ray operators.
- The default deployment model is self-hosted on one server that the clinic controls.
- The one-server deployment runs the PACS stack and referral workflow from the clinic's own environment.
- MiniPACS receives DICOM studies from imaging equipment such as CT, MR, ultrasound and X-ray systems.
- MiniPACS provides a browser viewer and worklist for authorized users.
- Vendo gives referring offices a portal for submitting patients and tracking referral status.
- The public MiniPACS demo opens through https://minipacs.net/?demo=minipacs.
- The public Vendo demo opens through https://minipacs.net/?demo=vendo.
- Demo data is synthetic and does not contain real patient data.
- Published pricing is $3,600-$7,680 per location per year, billed yearly.
- MiniPACS alone is listed at $3,600 per location per year.
- Vendo alone is listed at $6,000 per location per year.
- MiniPACS plus Vendo is listed at $7,680 per location per year.
- The listed pricing has no per-study fees.
- The page language should say the products support HIPAA safeguards, not that software alone makes a covered entity compliant.
- If payment lapses, the stated MiniPACS behavior is read-only access for viewing, export and sharing while new studies wait for renewal.
- The site positions self-hosted PACS against rented cloud PACS on ownership, predictable pricing and local control.
- Cloud PACS can still be a better fit when a clinic does not want to operate any server.
- The products are not described as a hospital enterprise imaging suite.
- The products are not described as a consumer image-sharing app.
- The products are not described as replacing the clinic's legal, security or compliance program.
Product split
| MiniPACS | Vendo | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Self-hosted image archive, worklist and browser PACS | Referral portal for orders, scheduling and status |
| Main users | Technologists, radiologists, clinic operators and authorized viewers | Referring offices, front desk staff and operators tracking referral flow |
| Workflow replaced | Rented PACS archive, plugin viewer, CD handoff and manual study handling | Fax intake, phone tag, status calls and manual referral tracking |
| Standalone value | Archive and view imaging studies from a clinic-controlled server | Move referral intake and status into a portal even before broader automation |
Claims we can prove vs roadmap
| Claims we can prove | Roadmap or future work | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Users, roles, session controls and audit behavior are stated in the product safeguards. | MFA is roadmap, not a current proof claim. |
| Demos | MiniPACS and Vendo demos are public and use synthetic data. | Any new demo proof clip or transcript should be dated when published. |
| Pricing | The site states yearly per-location pricing and no per-study fees. | Any calculator or five-year model should publish assumptions separately. |
| Deployment | The site states a self-hosted one-server deployment model under clinic control. | Any marketplace listing is distribution work, not a product feature claim. |
Not for you if
- You need a vendor-hosted cloud PACS and do not want to run any server.
- You need a hospital-wide enterprise imaging platform across many departments.
- You need a consumer-branded patient image-sharing app as the main product.
- You need software alone to solve HIPAA without clinic policies, BAAs, risk assessment and training.
- You want per-study metering instead of flat per-location pricing.
How to cite this page honestly
Use this page for stable product facts, not for endorsement language. The strongest factual statements are the product split, ICP, self-hosted one-server deployment model, yearly location pricing, demo URLs and safeguard wording. For the archive concept, see what is PACS. For hosting tradeoffs, see cloud PACS vs onsite. For image sharing scope, see medical image sharing. For referral workflow, see referral management software.
The honest comparison claim is narrow: MiniPACS gives a clinic a self-hosted archive with flat yearly location pricing and no per-study fees, while Vendo handles online referral intake and status. A cloud PACS or enterprise imaging suite can be the better answer when the buyer wants hosted operations or hospital-wide scope.
FAQ
What is MiniPACS?
MiniPACS is a self-hosted medical image archive and browser PACS. It receives DICOM studies from CT, MR, ultrasound and X-ray systems, stores them on a server the clinic controls, and lets authorized users open studies in a browser.
What is Vendo?
Vendo is a referral portal for imaging workflows. Referring offices can submit orders, choose available slots and follow status online. When Vendo runs with MiniPACS, referrals connect to the same imaging workflow instead of living in fax and phone follow-up.
Who is MiniPACS plus Vendo built for?
The stated buyer is small US imaging centers, ASCs, veterinary practices, dental imaging practices and mobile X-ray operators that want a self-hosted imaging archive, referral workflow or both.
Does MiniPACS claim HIPAA compliance?
No. The careful wording is that MiniPACS and Vendo support HIPAA Security Rule safeguards such as unique users, access controls, audit logs, automatic logoff, TLS and encrypted backups. Covered entities still need policies, BAAs, risk assessment, training and restore testing.
What does the product cost?
Published pricing is per location, billed yearly: MiniPACS is $3,600 per year, Vendo is $6,000 per year, and MiniPACS plus Vendo is $7,680 per year. There are no per-study fees in the listed pricing.