Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging Advances Greenville Health System's Exceptional IT Strategy

MORTSEL, Belgium and GREENVILLE, South Carolina, August 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Agfa HealthCare and Greenville Health System (GHS) announce the successful implementation of a comprehensive Enterprise Imaging system, which will facilitate greater efficiencies in clinical operations, improve clinical confidence and enable cost reduction through convergence of systems and timely access to medical images and diagnostic tools.

• The solution consolidates access and allows for care team collaboration with Radiology, Cardiology, and other medical images while converging multiple legacy picture archive communication systems (PACS) onto a single platform, creating one of the United States' largest integrated digital imaging systems in the prestigious HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Stage 7-awarded health network.
• VNA (vendor neutral archive) services deployment facilitates Visual Intelligence - rapid cross-enterprise access to clinically relevant imaging information - and leverages diagnostic information from Enterprise Imaging PACS' advanced task-based workflow to improve the delivery of patient care and operational efficacy throughout multiple locations and clinician groups.
• Validating the recent KLAS Enterprise Imaging Performance Report 2018, the company's strong strategic guidance and integration experience are key to the Enterprise Imaging implementation's success.

The recently implemented system has converged multiple PACSs onto a single platform, allowing the 1,627-bed multi-hospital system to seamlessly connect over 400 imaging modalities across 50 individual provider facilities to patients' medical imaging data. Nearly 4,000 clinicians are now relying on the Enterprise Imaging system to deliver patient care daily throughout the greater northwest South Carolina region.

GHS is renowned for its clinical efficiency improvements and commitment to transform the quality of care and patient safety using innovative information technology.  The healthcare system recently achieved the prestigious HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Stage 7 Award, the highest achievement level awarded.  The near paperless environment achieved by GHS harnesses the integration of EMR and Enterprise Imaging technologies to advance the clinical, operational, and financial vitality of the health system.

The complex implementation exemplifies recognition given to Agfa HealthCare recently by KLAS Research, the healthcare research and insights firm.  The KLAS Enterprise Imaging Performance Report 2018 identifies Agfa HealthCare as a 'strong and guiding partner' and cites strategic guidance, strength of the new platform, and integration as keys to the company's success in driving desired outcomes for clients.  No vendor scored higher than Agfa HealthCare as a strong partner to create and/or develop an organization's enterprise imaging strategy.  The study found that organizations seeing the most outcomes are those using Agfa HealthCare VNA and universal viewer, both of which GHS elected to rollout in their initial stage of the multi-year deployment.

The Enterprise Imaging system implemented at GHSincludes the following suite of applications on a single platform:

• Enterprise Imaging for Cardiology (PACS) - improves clinical productivity and reduces application overload by using a single user interface supporting all cardiology clinical workflows.
• Enterprise Imaging for Radiology (PACS) - a highly customizable diagnostic workflow tool designed to help radiologists achieve optimal efficiency in reading radiological studies.
• Standardized Departmental Workflows -  allows all image-producing service lines, including Point of Care Ultrasound, Dermatology, photo capture for Wound Care, and Opthalmology to capture and associate imaging studies with an episode of care and drive enterprise-wide efficiency through standardization.
• Enterprise Imaging Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) - consolidates all imaging data from multiple systems, departments, facilities and vendors into a central clinical data foundation.
• Web-based XERO® universal image viewer - provides secure access to DICOM and non-DICOM imaging data from different departments and multiple sources, in one view, "anywhere".
• Enterprise Imaging Exchange - allows fast, secure, reliable transfer of patient imaging studies, to from, within, inside, and outside the health system.

"We are proud of the technical and clinical enhancements accomplished across the Greenville Health System that will help improve the care we deliver to the patients we serve. The Enterprise Imaging platform integrates with our EMR to benefit our growing network's clinical, operational, and fiscal health," said Richard Rogers, vice president and CIO, Greenville Health System.  "In reducing complexity and cost - and increasing efficiencies across our clinical and operational processes -- we view Agfa HealthCare's solution as key to our digital health strategy. The Agfa HealthCare team has been an excellent business partner and their guidance and collaboration have been instrumental to our controlled rollout's continuing success."

"Two years ago, GHS and Agfa HealthCare embarked on a journey together with a shared strategic vision of leveraging an integrated patient data platform and it is wonderful to see this come to fruition," commented Frank Pecaitis, Senior Vice President, North America, Agfa HealthCare.  "The implementation of Enterprise Imaging with Greenville Health System continues validation of the platform's scalability, convergence power, and the fundamental contributions Enterprise Imaging can deliver to a health network's transformation to standardize and personalize care."

For an image, click here.

About Greenville Health System 

Greenville-based Greenville Health System (GHS) has partnered with Columbia-based Palmetto Health to form a not-for-profit health care delivery system serving 1.2 million patients annually across South Carolina. The new name and graphic identity are expected to be announced later this year. GHS offers patients an innovative network of clinical integration, expertise and technologies through its academic health system, eight medical campuses, tertiary medical center, research and education facilities, community hospitals, physician practices and numerous specialty services. GHS, by itself a 1,627-bed system, is home to 16 medical residency and fellowship programs, as well as partnership efforts such as the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville and the Clemson University Nursing Building. Visit ghs.org to learn more.

About KLAS Research 

KLAS is an independent research firm known for honestly, accurately and impartially measuring vendor performance on behalf of healthcare providers. KLAS data and reports represent the combined opinions of actual people from healthcare organizations comparing how their vendors, products, and/or services performed when measured against participants' objectives and expectations.

About Agfa HealthCare  

Agfa HealthCare, present in one hospital out of two, is a leading provider of eHealth & Digital Imaging solutions. Care organizations in over 100 countries rely on Agfa HealthCare to optimize their efficiency and improve patient care.

Miriam Ladin 
Director, Marketing Communications, Americas 
T +1-978-284-7777
[email protected]

SOURCE Agfa HealthCare