GE announces image exchange solution

GE Healthcare today announced its eHealth Image Exchange software solution:  a flexible, standards-based platform for sharing images and integrating workflows across a healthcare community.  The eHealth Image Exchange helps improve the quality of radiology care across the healthcare community by reducing costs and inefficiencies caused by using CDs and film to share images, and by enhancing online patient review capabilities among multi-disciplinary teams in numerous locations. 

Available in multiple countries, GE’s eHealth Image Exchange helps physicians across the community review current and relevant-prior images from their own PACS, as well as from other institution’s PACS, increasing multi-specialty collaboration and decreasing the likelihood of unnecessary, redundant imaging exams.  Physicians can more easily share images with a colleague for a second opinion or confer with a specialist across town for additional review without relying on couriers, mail, fax or CD.  Eliminating these access impediments helps speed patient care decisions across the community.

GE Healthcare has three major European eHealth Image Exchange projects underway in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden.  These image exchange projects cover several large regional areas, including Paris, and will collectively connect 63 hospitals when fully operational.

Earl Jones, Vice President and General Manager of GE Healthcare IT explained, “Imaging technology is foundational in modern healthcare. As health systems work to improve care coordination, drive performance-based outcomes, and reduce the cost of delivered care, Image Exchange will become an increasingly important capability. GE’s strong heritage in imaging solutions and expertise in standards-based health information exchange enables us to offer a solution that converges imaging and clinical data to connect communities. ” 

Imaging intensive specialists – particularly oncologists, orthopedists and trauma physicians – can remotely access images, reports and documents when needed to help make more informed medical decisions.  Today, specialists often have to wait for the patient and their images on film or CD to arrive at the emergency, operating or exam rooms. 

Referring physicians can use eHealth Image Exchange to review relevant prior radiology reports and images to create a more holistic and informed care plan.  Physicians are notified via email or SMS text message when new imaging results are available for review, which enables timelier and clinically impactful communication with their patients.

For healthcare provider organizations of any size, relying on CDs and film to exchange images can lead to extra costs, more time waiting for results, potentially unnecessary additional exams, and less opportunity for collaboration across the clinical community.  GE Healthcare seeks to reduce these costs and inefficiencies by connecting disparate software systems and creating an integrated solution that reduces the need for patients or physicians to exchange CDs and film.   

Vishal Wanchoo, President and CEO, GE Healthcare IT, commented, “We are partnering with regional healthcare organizations in Europe who are embracing the productivity and improved care coordination enabled by Image Exchange. Simply put, this is a solution that makes sense and will help change healthcare for the better around the world."

Join us at RSNA 2010 in booth #5533 for an interactive demo of eHealth Image Exchange.