Agfa HealthCare finalizes implementation of fully integrated cardiology suite at Belgian Hospital

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, announces today that it has completed the installation of its IMPAX(TM) Cardiovascular Suite at the AZ Imelda hospital in Bonheiden, Belgium.

The enterprise-wide, feature-rich cardiology information management system and reporting solution allows physicians to view both cardiology and radiology images and reports, enhancing diagnostic confidence. Agfa HealthCare's solution enables AZ Imelda to integrate all of the patient information on two cardiology image management servers that are fully integrated with the hospital's main archive, IMPAX PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System).

"We were looking for an integrated, hospital-wide solution that would independently connect with any modality or enterprise information system, providing us an integrated view of patient data from a single point of access," says Eric Verschueren, Head of the Medical Equipment Department of the AZ Imelda hospital. "Agfa HealthCare was the only independent software provider that could fulfil these criteria," he continues.

Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX Cardiovascular Suite promotes efficiency in the diagnostic process by simplifying access to cardiology and radiology information. Dr. Luc Janssens, Head of the Cardiology Department of the AZ Imelda hospital, was involved in the decision-making process. "We are very enthusiastic about this solution. The integration of imaging and reporting streamlines the departmental and hospital workflows by consolidating information from cardiology subspecialties and the radiology department."

Controlling and administering data has now become easier with Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX solution. The integrated system of imaging and data management suites offers one single, centralized data repository for cardiology and radiology data, which allows comparison of current and previous reports and images, and provides a longitudinal view of patient care. Dr. Janssens goes on to say: "Thanks to IMPAX, physicians have access to all necessary information at the patient's bedside, which facilitates more informed physician decision-making vis-à-vis therapy and diagnosis. This greatly enhances the service towards the patients."

Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX Cardiovascular Suite encompasses multiple modalities, including cardiac angiography, cardiac ultrasound, non-invasive vascular ultrasound and cardiac nuclear medicine, as well as non-image data such as measurements and other text-based information, strongly simplifying access to images and reports. "This improves interaction between the employees of the hospital, as they can now more easily discuss patient data, not only internally but also 'extra muros'. General practitioners and physicians in external hospitals, for example, can also use the system via a single point of access to cardiology and radiology images and reports, which is certainly a plus," concludes Dr. Janssens.

"Furthermore, the integrated IMPAX Cardiovascular solution is a valuable asset for teaching. The system allows for the comparison of medical information and allows us to teach people how to make reports and point out problems, limitations and medical examination possibilities and options," he concludes.

In July 2006, AZ Imelda also contracted Agfa HealthCare for the delivery of ORBIS(TM), Agfa HealthCare's advanced Hospital Information and Clinical Information Systems (HIS/CIS). This leading hospital enterprise IT solution enhances the quality of patient treatment and provides fast and complete availability of patients' histories, including all images and data.