Agfa HealthCare focuses on the future of radiology at UKRC, offering Fast Forward to DR and a gateway to integrated care

Radiation dose reduction and monitoring, as well as a path forward to direct radiography and integrated care across the department, hospital and region, will be showcased

  • Press release
  • Mortsel, Belgium
  • June 25, 2015 2:00 PM CET

- Agfa HealthCare will demonstrate how it is using its experience and expertise to develop solutions that help any hospital achieve its goals. - Solutions that help reduce and monitor radiation dose will be showcased. - Healthcare IT platform enables enhanced collaboration across department, hospital enterprise and region.

At UKRC 2015, Agfa HealthCare will focus on the future of radiology, demonstrating how its imaging and IT solutions are providing a path forward to the healthcare model of the future. “Integrated care and collaboration throughout the patient care continuum, image quality, versatility and scalability – these are a few of the current and future needs of every hospital, whatever its size, type or budget,” comments Grant Witheridge, General Manager of Agfa HealthCare UK. “At UKRC 2015, we will show how our solutions meet those real needs, with a comprehensive portfolio of IT and imaging solutions that is built on the foundations of our 147 years of experience in radiology.”

Agfa HealthCare will be launching several new solutions for the UK, including the new DR mobile X-ray unit and new DR 600(**) ceiling-suspended digital
X-ray room, as well as its Portal that offers the first step in a “gateway to integrated care”. In addition, the Enterprise Imaging solutions, which have been recently implemented at hospitals across the UK, will be showcased. Visitors can also discover Agfa HealthCare’s expertise in dose management and next generation MUSICA image processing, including for specialized care areas, such as neonatal.

A digital radiography path for every hospital

DR mobile: delivering mobile imaging excellence
The highly maneuverable, wireless mobile direct radiography (DR) unit combines full mobility with Agfa HealthCare’s gold-standard MUSICA image processing. The result enables high-quality radiology exams to be efficiently performed in mobile environments, including intensive care units (ICUs), emergency departments, operating rooms or at the bedside.

“The DX-D 100 delivers wireless mobile imaging excellence, in a compact and manoeuvrable, yet robust solution,” comments Carol Wood, Breast Imaging and Clinical Services Manager, Radiology, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, who recently purchased two units. “You can make images wherever needed in the hospital, improving patient comfort and workflow."

DR 600(**): high-productivity, ceiling-suspended digital X-ray room
The ceiling-suspended DR 600 is a high-productivity solution ideal for facilities with a high patient load that are looking to streamline workflow and increase throughput. It offers a complete portfolio of fully-motorized, semi-automatic and manual configurations. The fully-automatic system includes the latest in state-of-the-art auto-positioning technology. Cesium Iodide DR detector technology gives significant patient dose reduction potential.

MUSICA Neonatal: “Because life is precious”
While dose control and reduction are important for all patients, neonatal care and imaging present special challenges. At UKRC 2015, Agfa HealthCare will show its newly launched MUSICA for Neonatal, which offers all the advantages of next generation MUSICA, along with special features dedicated to neonatal imaging. As a result, MUSICA for Neonatal offers the optimal balance of soft bone, lung and abdominal tissue in a single image, reducing the number of images needed.

Dose monitoring: “The right dose of expertise”
At the Agfa HealthCare booth, visitors can learn how the company has concretely committed to the ALARA principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), with solutions designed to deliver the optimum balance between low radiation dose and high image quality. Studies have shown that substantial dose reductions of up to 60% can be achieved with Agfa HealthCare’s cesium-based detectors, combined with MUSICA image processing. (*)

With Qaelum’s tqm|DOSETM platform (***), Agfa HealthCare offers an advanced solution for patient radiation dose monitoring, analysis and improvement in digital imaging. The vendor-neutral dose management solution integrates into existing PACS environments and collects relevant dose and metadata information.


Eliminating borders with healthcare IT

Single platform for Enterprise Imaging
Agfa HealthCare has converged its enterprise and departmental diagnostic imaging solutions (radiology, nuclear medicine, cardiology, etc.) into a single platform for Enterprise Imaging that allows any clinician to create, collaborate on, exchange, view and manage a comprehensive medical imaging record throughout the patient’s care. Agfa HealthCare’s XERO “footprint” Viewer recently received FDA 510(k) clearance for diagnostic viewing and now provides easy unified access to patient images from different departments in either reference or diagnostic quality. The result is a universal delivery tool that supports integrated care across the department, enterprise and region, enhancing cost-effectiveness and efficiency.

Enterprise Imaging has already been implemented at 171 sites in 26 countries around the world, including South America, North America, Africa, Europe, Russia and the Middle East. In 2015, Sunderland Royal Hospital, part of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, became the first UK hospital to implement the Enterprise Imaging solution.

Multi-disciplinary collaboration in medical imaging
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation has become the first in the UK to implement the Enterprise Imaging for Radiology, offering a powerful task-based workflow designed to achieve gains in clinical productivity.
Enterprise Imaging for Radiology enables easier reporting offering greater diagnostic value, enhanced viewing and sharing of images and flexible deployment options, including off-site and on-site hosting. Birmingham Dental Hospital has also recently chosen Agfa’s Enterprise Imaging for Radiology with The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust also signing a new three-year agreement for its Agfa PACS, extended with a high availability, vendor-neutral Enterprise Imaging platform.

Agfa HealthCare Portal: the first step in a “gateway to integrated care"
At UKRC 2015 Agfa HealthCare will also be launching its new Portal in the UK, offering hospitals an easy-to-integrate and -use solution for image and results delivery. The Portal gives a patient-centric overview of patient information from different sources, to different stakeholders in the patient’s care, inside or outside the hospital. It also provides a comprehensive road map running from the Portal itself, through to true integrated care.

UKRC 2015 is being held in Liverpool, UK, from June 29 - July 1. Visit Agfa HealthCare at booth # 20.

(*) Testing with board-certified radiologists has determined that Cesium Bromide (CR) and Cesium Iodide (DR) detectors, when used with MUSICA image processing, can provide dose reductions of 50 to 60%, compared to traditional Barium Fluoro Bromide CR systems. Contact Agfa HealthCare for more details.

(**) DR 600 is not available in the US and Canada
(***) Agfa HealthCare Dose Monitoring Solution with Qaelum’s tqm|DOSETM platform is not available in the US and Canada.



Paul Jackson
Marketing Manager UK, Agfa HealthCare
tel:+44 7918 708 843
paul.jackson@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