Agfa HealthCare unveils comprehensive portfolio for enhancing performance of the healthcare enterprise

Provider of advanced imaging and IT solutions demonstrates its expanded, integrated portfolio and announces several contracts and strategic partnerships at RSNA 2006, world’s largest radiology congress

Chicago, IL (RSNA–South Hall A Booth #3339), November 26, 2006, At the 2006 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 92nd Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, Agfa HealthCare today announces several new product introductions, contracts and strategic partnerships, demonstrating the results of its transformation from a radiology-centric to a full healthcare enterprise IT solutions company.

At the Agfa HealthCare booth (South Hall A Booth #3339) the company is demonstrating its advanced portfolio of imaging and IT solutions. built upon its unique ability to integrate information, images and data, beyond the traditional boundaries of a given healthcare facility, reaching into community healthcare. These solutions include RIS, PACS, reporting, cardiology, enterprise scheduling, decision support, advanced clinical applications, data storage, healthcare consulting, digital radiography, computed radiography and film.

“Since unveiling our strategy at RSNA 2004 to expand further in radiology and in healthcare IT, we have renewed and expanded our portfolio, launched dozens of new solutions, entered into many new healthcare segments and experienced strong growth in emerging markets. We’ve secured many productive partnership agreements and alliances leading to new customers all around the world,” said Philippe Houssiau, President, Agfa HealthCare.

New solutions in expanded, integrated portfolio
“Today’s healthcare providers are in need of enterprise-wide solutions that integrate seamlessly into their complex environments to help them solve issues at the point of care, that is, the point at which the healthcare professional interacts with the patient” said Bob Pryor, President, Agfa HealthCare, Americas.

In Digital Radiography, Agfa HealthCare is launching several new solutions to improve image quality and cost effectiveness, including:

* CR 30-X: a compact, single-slot tabletop CR system that combines high image quality with high throughput, ideal for smaller facilities in which space might be an issue.
* DX-Si: a new integrated digital radiography solution applicable for all General Radiology (GenRad) applications and well suited for high-throughput GenRad rooms, Emergency Rooms and Pediatrics environments, featuring NX Workstation integration for a reduction of steps for the radiographer and an optimized image file, streamlining the workflow (DX-Si is currently available in selected markets in Europe and awaiting official government authorizations in Canada and received FDA 510(k) clearance in the U.S.)
* MUSICA²™ (Multi-Scale Image Contrast Amplification): an intelligent digital X-ray image processing software offering improved image visualization and greater autonomy than its predecessor

In addition to digital radiography Agfa HealthCare is previewing new IT solutions that will increase workflow efficiencies for increased productivity within the hospital enterprise. Agfa HealthCare developed these solutions to respond to the dynamic and complex healthcare landscape in which healthcare facilities are faced with increasing demands for higher quality patient care, reduction in medical errors, improved medical outcomes, increased patient satisfaction and higher returns on investment.

The new IT solutions include:

* IMPAX Data Center™: a solution for hospital groups, regional healthcare organizations and national medical archives, it addresses the need for centrally consolidated information at the point of patient care, adding efficiency by providing large-scale multimedia storage of all types of medical images and diagnostic results
* IMPAX Clinical Applications: a works in progress, Agfa HealthCare will preview a series of new modules developed for Agfa HealthCare’s IMPAX solution. These modules will offer more convenient point-of-care access to sophisticated imaging applications as 3-D, Fusion, Digital Subtraction Angiography, Computer-Aided Detection (CAD), X-ray Vascular Analysis, Virtual Colonoscopy and nuclear medicine
* Agfa HealthCare Consulting: launched in Europe earlier this year, Agfa HealthCare’s new Consulting Services group will provide management consulting to healthcare business managers at hospitals in North America, offering a range of consulting services including development of strategic direction, situation analysis, return on investment analysis, resource allocations advice and workflow adaptations.

Contract announcements
Next to new solutions, Agfa HealthCare announces today a series of new contracts in the United States, including Computed Radiography digitizers for Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky, and the upgrading of Agfa HealthCare CR systems with the new NX image identification and quality control component at nearly 60 naval medical units for the US Department of the Navy.

The US Marine Corps has signed a contract for IMPAX 6.0 to combine the medical and archival functions of two bases on the east coast. One year since the launch of Agfa HealthCare’s next generation IMPAX at RSNA 2005, nearly 300 healthcare facilities around the world have signed contracts, including 150 North American facilities.

Alliances and partnerships
Finally, at RSNA Agfa HealthCare announces new alliances with several companies, including:

* Ascom, a leading provider of wireless notification systems: Agfa HealthCare and Ascom are working together on a wireless product integration test for IMPAX that could improve communication between radiologists and other care givers
* MEDSEEK, a leading provider of enterprise e-health solutions: Agfa HealthCare and MEDSEEK are joining in a strategic alliance in which Agfa will re-sell MEDSEEK’s eConnect Clinical Dashboard, giving clinicians access to clinical data from disparate systems through a single sign-on in one unified view, enabling easy review of patients’ records
* Vocada, the market leader in critical test result management (CTRM) solutions: Agfa HealthCare and Vocada are starting a strategic alliance in which Agfa’s IMPAX is integrated with Vocada’s CTRM solutions, providing radiologists with improved methodologies for clinical result distribution and notification. The Vocada/IMPAX solution, which notifies referring physicians of patient results, will play a significant role in improving patient care.

“Managers responsible for healthcare facilities including hospitals, imaging centers, and other specialty practices increasingly insist on the need for a reliable, stable, innovative vendor who can meet their complex requirements today and in the future,” commented Bob Pryor.

Contact Information

Johan Jacobs

Corporate Press Relations Manager

Agfa-Gevaert Group

Contact via E-mail