Bayer HealthCare's MEDRAD and Nuance Communications Unveil Industry's First(1) Solution to Automate CT Contrast-Injection Documentation at the annual Radiology Society of North America (RSNA) Meeting

WARRENDALE, Pa., Nov. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, MEDRAD, INC., a business of Bayer HealthCare, and Nuance Communications, Inc. announce they have collaborated to bring radiology professionals the industry's first interoperability solution to automate documentation of CT contrast-injection data through connectivity between the MEDRAD Certegra® informatics platform and Nuance PowerScribe®| 360 Reporting.  The technology partnership launch is marked by the installation debut at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center (MSMC) in New York.

Through the partnership, Nuance customers can now auto-populate contrast-injection records into radiology reporting systems – eliminating contrast-injection record look-ups and dictation, and driving accuracy and consistency of documentation across physicians. Nuance is first to collaborate in implementing MEDRAD's vendor-neutral informatics interoperability – the implementation of which is being successfully carried out at MSMC. 

"MEDRAD and Nuance have taken a significant step forward in enabling transparent and automated transfer of IV contrast-administration information in radiology," said David S. Mendelson, M.D. FACR, Chief of Clinical Informatics, MSMC.  "Accurate contrast-injection records are automatically incorporated into the final radiology report – delivering true interoperability that ensures high quality care for our patients."  Dr. Mendelson will detail MSMC's technology implementation experience at the Nuance RSNA booth #2816 on Tuesday, November 29 at 11:30 a.m. in Chicago.

"Empowering our customers to have access to core diagnostic information as part of the radiology report is critical and aligns with our commitment to transform and enhance healthcare clinical documentation through advanced technologies and partnerships," said Carina Edwards, Vice President, Healthcare Marketing, Nuance.  "Nuance is committed to the delivery of systems that
capture the full patient story and clinical scenario.  Our work with MEDRAD supports and helps to advance that commitment, making the radiology report more robust than ever before."

"Our Nuance partnership extends the value our Contrast Dose Management™ solution offers – enabling market-leading interoperability that eliminates the need for radiologists to look-up and dictate contrast injection records," said Anthony Cinalli, Vice President, Radiology Marketing and Sales, MEDRAD, INC.  "Radiology professionals throughout the facility can rely on accurate, consistent documentation to reveal actionable insights."

MEDRAD's full line of software and applications that comprise the Certegra® informatics platform will be demonstrated at RSNA booth #5009 in the South Hall.  Attendees can learn how these products address their unique clinical and administrative needs by tailoring an interactive informatics simulation.  To reserve a preferred time slot in advance of RSNA and learn more, visit www.medrad.com/each-dose-matters.

Nuance Healthcare's full suite of radiology solutions: PowerScribe | 360 Reporting, PowerScribe 360 Critical Results, PowerScribe 360 Analytics, PowerScribe 360 Decision Support and SpeechMagic will be available for demonstration at booth #2816 at RSNA 2011 in Chicago, November 27 – December 1.  For further information on Nuance's radiology portfolio, please call 1-800-350-4836 or visit: http://www.nuance.com/for-healthcare/capture-anywhere/radiology-solutions/index.htm

Nuance Healthcare
Nuance Healthcare, a division of Nuance Communications, is the market leader in providing clinical understanding solutions that accurately capture and transform the patient story into meaningful, actionable information.  Thousands of hospitals, providers and payers worldwide trust Nuance speech-enabled clinical documentation and analytics solutions to facilitate smarter, more efficient decisions across the healthcare enterprise.  These solutions are proven to increase clinician satisfaction and HIT adoption, supporting organizations to achieve Meaningful Use of EHR systems and transform to the accountable care model.  Recognized as "Best-in-KLAS" 2004-2010 for Speech Recognition we invite you to learn more, http://www.nuance.com/for-healthcare/index.htm

About MEDRAD, INC.
MEDRAD develops, markets and services medical devices used to diagnose and treat disease. Its product offerings include fluid injection systems for radiology and cardiology, endovascular devices for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, magnetic resonance-compatible accessories and equipment services. MEDRAD is a two-time recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the top honor a U.S. company can receive for quality and business excellence (2003 and 2010). The company's world headquarters is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. MEDRAD is a business of Bayer HealthCare. More company information is available at www.medrad.com.

Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 16.9 billion (2010), is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,700 employees (Dec 31, 2010) and is represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

Contact:
Alicia Cafardi, MEDRAD, INC., (724) 940-8621, [email protected]
Holly Spring, Nuance Communications, Inc., (781) 565-5000, [email protected]

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Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE MEDRAD, INC.