Cornwall Community Hospital chooses integrated PACS, RIS and Speech Recognition solution of Agfa HealthCare

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, announces today that Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) has chosen to implement its IMPAX™ Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS), Radiology Information System (RIS) and Speech Recognition solutions. The new technologies will help CCH create a filmless and paperless radiology environment - improving workflow, speeding report turnaround time and promoting better quality patient care.

Previously, CCH was using traditional film for X-ray exams and sharing patient images manually with referring physicians and other healthcare institutions, which was creating unnecessary delays. By implementing Agfa HealthCare’s solutions, including IMPAX PACS to electronically share images and reports, IMPAX RIS for ordering and retrieving Diagnostic Imaging exams and Speech Recognition for improving report turnaround time, authorized users at any location will be able to quickly view current and prior exams, regardless of the site from which the exams were acquired. Not only will this provide physicians with a more holistic picture of each patient, but the new integrated solution will also help to decrease wait times.

“The benefits of an integrated PACS/RIS/Speech solution extend well beyond the radiology department. The digital images are of high quality, their delivery to a patient’s primary caregiver is fast and secure, all of which means we can deliver efficient and comprehensive diagnosis across the continuum of care,” said Dr. Boubalos, Radiologist, Cornwall Community Hospital. With Agfa HealthCare’s integrated PACS/RIS/Speech solution, CCH can electronically manage all radiology operations, from patient registration through worklist generation and image management to medical reporting and business intelligence.

Agfa HealthCare’s IMPAX PACS enables radiologists to report the results as soon as an exam is completed. Relevant patient and exam information - patient data, visit information, relevant priors, reporting history and scanned documents - is easily and quickly available, supporting more timely assessments. Data is entered once to be shared throughout the system, for an efficiently-documented diagnostic process, saving significant time.

“With the integrated PACS / RIS / Speech solution in place, patients benefit from shorter waiting times and earlier intervention thanks to reductions in overall turnaround times,” said Michael Green, President and CEO for Agfa HealthCare in Canada. “With these new technologies, CCH can enhance the delivery of patient care faster.”

The IMPAX RIS and PACS installation at CCH is planned to be complete in Fall 2007. To provide a true end-to-end solution, apart from Speech Recognition CCH will also deploy Agfa HealthCare’s Web-based scheduling solution iPlan, in 2008.