Western Maryland Health System to Deploy Cardiovascular Image and Information Management Solution from Agfa HealthCare in New Hospital

State-of-the-art facility will use IMPAX® Cardiovascular when it opens this fall

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces today that it has been selected by Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) to provide a state-of-the-art cardiovascular imaging and information management system for the Cumberland, Maryland-based organization’s new healthcare facility, Western Maryland Regional Medical Center.

Expected to open later this year, Western Maryland Regional Medical Center will rely on Agfa HealthCare’s IMPAX® Cardiovascular (IMPAX CV) for all cardiology studies, including cardiac catheterization imaging and echocardiography imaging and reporting. Also included in the agreement is the IMPAX HeartStation® ECG management system, as well as the integration of IMPAX CV with the new hospital’s radiology PACS, allowing both cardiology and radiology images to be viewed from any secure PC. Agfa HealthCare will also implement inbound and outbound reporting; integration of IMPAX CV and HIS; an interface to a physician portal; and a data mining tool for developing management and clinical reports. Remote connectivity will enable clinicians and referring physicians to have prompt access to patient information from wherever they happen to be.

WMHS leadership chose Agfa HealthCare primarily because of its ability to work extremely well with multiple equipment manufacturers. “Agfa HealthCare’s focus on integrating with multiple equipment vendors enables us to preserve our existing technology investments,” said Karen Stair, director of cardiovascular services at WMHS.
WMHS is creating a single, modern, 275-bed facility by combining the services of its two primary hospitals, Braddock Hospital and Memorial Hospital and Medical Center of Cumberland, where physicians annually perform approximately 30,000 invasive and non-invasive cardiology exams. Because neither of the current facilities previously used digital archiving or reporting systems, IMPAX CV was first installed at both hospitals in late 2008 to allow clinicians and technicians to become familiar with the system before the opening of the new hospital.

The Agfa cardiovascular solutions have improved workflow in WMHS’s two current facilities by eliminating the need for transporting and faxing reports between facilities, making digital studies available quickly for clinician review, and decreasing physician read time. Digital reporting in echocardiography has vastly improved department efficiency by eliminating the traditional transcription process.

“We are pleased that a state-of-the-art facility such as WMHS is using IMPAX CV and IMPAX HeartStation to increase the availability of specialty services to local communities,” said Lisa Braunreuther, Global Business Manager, Cardiology IT, Agfa HealthCare. “WMHS is meeting its ongoing commitment to the people of Western Maryland by improving healthcare provider access to cardiovascular images and information.”

WMHS offers a comprehensive range of general and specialty services for medical, surgical, pediatric, and obstetrical patients, with over 200 physicians practicing in the community. Currently located on the Braddock campus, the Heart Institute at WMHS provides a comprehensive range of cardiac diagnostic and treatment services, including open-heart surgery and angioplasty.