Offering sharing of data, multi-site RIS/PACS upgrade will support country's vision for nationwide electronic medical record
Press release
Mortsel, Belgium
November 20, 2013 2:00 PM CET
- The solution includes fully embedded reporting and voice recognition, as well as ICIS View, Agfa HealthCare's zero-footprint web-based viewer. - The Agfa HealthCare solution is in line with MOH's goal to enhance patient care through a highly advanced, nationwide infrastructure that will make medical data available to care providers anywhere, anytime.
Agfa HealthCare announces that it has been awarded the contract for upgrading the existing RIS/PACS systems in seven hospitals of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Gassim, Saudi Arabia, which together carry out about half a million radiology exams per year. The project will replace the legacy, third-party Radiology Information Systems (RIS) with Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX RIS, and upgrade the existing IMPAX Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) with new, advanced clinical applications.
A fully integrated solution
In 2009, Agfa HealthCare began a multi-site PACS project in Gassim, implementing IMPAX PACS in the seven hospitals and integrating them with the different Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and RIS at each site. Agfa HealthCare successfully overcame the challenges of integrating with the different HIS/RIS vendors in order to offer a completely integrated solution. The project used Agfa HealthCare's renowned HUB and Spoke architecture, with each hospital's independent IMPAX PACS connected to the central image data repository, integrated within the IMPAX PACS at the HUB site, located at the King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Buraidah.
With the new contract, all seven hospitals will now receive IMPAX RIS/PACS, replacing the third-party RIS and upgrading the IMPAX PACS. The project includes complete migration report data connected to the images, to provide the clinicians with access to the patients' historical data.
Connecting hospitals and imaging departments in a single solution
In the main hospital's data center, all images and reports will be archived in the ICIS Data Center central data repository. ICIS Data Center is an IHE-compliant Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA), ready to integrate with the XDS national network that the MOH is planning to build. The solution also allows the synchronization of study changes between sites to ensure data integrity.
The highly scalable ICIS Data Center will be the basis for integrating other image-generating departments such as ophthalmology, endoscopy, pathology, etc., in order to create a full longitudinal imaging record. Integrating ICIS View, Agfa HealthCare's zero-footprint web-based viewer, with the future Electronic Medical Record (EMR) will make it possible to complete that system with imaging data. With these functionalities, the solution is expected to play a key role in supporting the MOH's vision and mission to achieve complete regional integration of patients' radiology images and reports.
Greater efficiency and seamless sharing
The IMPAX solutions will come with fully embedded reporting and voice recognition, for a seamless workflow and enhanced productivity. ICIS View will allow access to image data from any computer platform, including tablets and smartphones. The zero footprint technology will offer easy and fast access to patient imaging records across the region. This will support a seamless paperless and filmless workflow, as well as reducing report turnaround time.
"Gassim is one of the most advanced regions in Saudi Arabia in terms of healthcare technology," comments Mr. Mustafa Hamdy, Managing Director, Agfa HealthCare Saudi Arabia Ltd. "With this new upgrade project, they will have a totally integrated RIS/PACS solution with the most advanced clinical applications plus region-wide access to patient images from mobile IT platforms. The project will thus help them to stay a step ahead as a healthcare organization."
Marc De Fré
Global Marcom Director
tel:+32 3444 7319
marc.defre@agfa.com
Agfa-Gevaert NV is one of the world leaders in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of imaging systems and products. Net sales break down by sector of activity as follows:
- Radiology solutions (36.9%). Agfa-Gevaert NV supplies radiology departments of hospitals all over the world with traditional X-ray film, hardcopy film and printers, digital radiography equipment and image processing software. Agfa's roots are in traditional medical imaging, but in today's healthcare market, digital radiography has become the dominant technology. All Agfa's digital radiography systems are offered with the company's leading MUSICA image processing software and its MUSICA workstation for image identification, acquisition and quality control;
- Digital Print & Chemicals (35.6%). Agfa-Gevaert NV supplies sign & display printing companies with a range of highly productive and versatile wide-format inkjet printers and dedicated inks, in addition to workflow software, cutting machines and inkjet media. Agfa produces classic film-based products, such as film for non-destructive testing and aerial photography, as well as microfilm and film for the production of printed circuit boards;
- HealthCare IT (21.6%). Agfa-Gevaert NV offers Imaging IT Solutions (The Enterprise Imaging platform creates a true imaging record for every patient, containing all possible images of the patient, regardless of the department and the facility that created them), Hospital IT Solutions (the leading Hospital Information System /Clinical Information System ORBIS, connects medical departments and administrative departments of hospitals into one virtual network), and Integrated Care Solutions (these solutions support collaboration across the borders of care organizations and medical disciplines and enable hospitals to actively engage with all stakeholders in the expanded care process, including physicians, informal care-givers and patients) ;
- Offset solutions (5.9%). Agfa-Gevaert NV is a leading supplier to the printing industry, offering innovative and reliable solutions. Commercial, newspaper and packaging printers around the globe rely on Agfa for the most extensive range of integrated solutions, from computer-to-plate systems with digital offset plates over color management and workflow optimization software to pressroom chemicals.
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