IMPAX HeartStation ECG viewer integration with EPIC EHR considered "one of the most clinically valuable cardiology-related IT projects completed in years"
  • Press release
  • Mortsel, Belgium/Greenville, SC
  • March 26, 2014 4:00 PM CET

- Community Medical Centers implements Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX HeartStation ECG management system to enable efficient viewing access of ECG images within the EPIC EHR. - IMPAX platform streamlines workflow of entire Community Medical Center's cardiology department across three regional hospitals and four outpatient centers. - IMPAX HeartStation provides in-hospital and mobile access to patient past and current ECGs without leaving the EHR.

(ACC.14, Booth #2831) Community Medical Centers, a leading not-for-profit health system comprised of three hospitals and four outpatient centers in central California, and Agfa HealthCare announced today that the implementation of Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX HeartStation ECG management system and
IMPAX CVIS has led to significant improvements in clinician efficiency and patient care management since the system integration into the EPIC EHR was launched at Community Regional and Clovis Community in March 2013 and then Fresno Heart & Surgical Center in October 2013.

Agfa HealthCare's CVIS and ECG Management solutions have significantly streamlined the clinical workflow of the cardiology department by allowing real-time viewer connectivity to Agfa HealthCare's HeartStation ECGs and patient medical records in the EHR viewing portal. These capabilities, combined with the system's worklist, order completion and billing processes, have enabled Community Medical Centers to directly address several key Meaningful Use objectives.


Immediate access to complete patient information
"The integration of IMPAX HeartStation with our EHR is one of the most clinically valuable cardiology-related IT projects completed within our health system since going live with Epic," commented Dr. Hagop Afarian, Chief Medical Information Officer of Community Medical Centers. "No longer is our cardiology department subject to inefficiencies and potential inaccuracies associated with inputting patient information into the system by hand and searching for past patient ECG results. Now, a cardiologist or clinician at any of our hospitals or outpatient centers is able to seamlessly view a patient's IMPAX ECG images, along side their medical history, thus enabling more immediate access to information."

"Cardiologists need efficient access to a patient's past and current medical data as well as cardiovascular diagnostic exams in order to provide timely diagnoses for treatment regimens," commented Dr. Ryan Berg, Cardiologist at Community Regional Medical Center, central California's leader in comprehensive cardiovascular services. "This system's ability to integrate patient medical records with corresponding ECGs and cardiovascular reports is a paradigm shift for our department and the entire Community Medical Center network in that it fundamentally streamlines patient care and enables clinicians to focus on medical outcomes."

Streamlined clinical workflow
The IMPAX platform for cardiology is a comprehensive data management solution for cardiology departments. By implementing Agfa HealthCare's solution with the hospital's EHR, ECG images along with IMPAX CV exam reports are centralized to the patient EHR record. Worklists are available to enhance workflow by creating a streamlined process to evaluate patients, support efficient billing, and allow any clinician within the health system to access past and current cardiac patient data.

"Prior to this integration, all staff had to exit the EHR and log into IMPAX HeartStation as a standalone system," stated Tamie Talley, Cardiology Computer Systems Specialist at Community Medical Centers. "Today, Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX HeartStation is completely integrated with the EPIC EHR, Gateway worklists and TC70 ECG carts, providing our physicians with fast access to ECGs and allowing our ECG technicians more face-to-face time with our patients."

"Community Medical Centers is an excellent example of the benefits a cardiology department and entire hospital system can experience with Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX CV and IMPAX HeartStation platforms," stated Tom Agar, Global Cardiovascular Marketing Manager, Agfa HealthCare. "By integrating patient ECGs and Cardiovascular reports within the EHR, all clinicians have access to patient information that could be pertinent in emergency situations or simply streamline the workflow process during a routine check up."


Miriam Ladin
Marketing Communications Director - North America
One Crosswind Road
RI 02891 Westerly, Rhode Island (USA)
tel:+1 (0)401 604 22 03
fax:+1 (0)401 596 85 62
miriam.ladin@agfa.com
Marc De Fré
Global Marcom Director
tel:+32 3444 7319
marc.defre@agfa.com
Johan Jacobs
Corporate Press Relations Manager
Septestraat 27
2640 Mortsel - Belgium
tel:+32 (0)3 444 80 15
fax:+32 (0)3 444 50 05
johan.jacobs@agfa.com
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