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Project calls for 19 PACS solutions, a centralized RIS system, 59 CR systems and 52 diagnostic imaging printers across the Basque network

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces it has successfully delivered the first phase of solutions at several of the Basque Healthcare Service’s 28-site Osakidetza facilities in Spain, including a go-live of its centralized Radiology Information System (RIS) across the facility’s network. Agfa HealthCare was selected in late 2007 to install its IMPAX™ 6 Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS), a centralized RIS, 59 Computed Radiography solutions, and 52 diagnostic imaging printers across 5 Hospitals and 23 Primary Care Centers in the Basque Country, northern Spain.

The contract also foresees the delivery of 19 full leg full spine imaging solutions and an IMPAX PACS solution providing advanced clinical applications and integration with speech recognition systems. The group's existing 3rd party solutions and Hospital Information Systems will be interfaced with the new solution to provide for a fully integrated workflow for increased efficiency and productivity.

Osakidetza, an organization belonging to the Basque Healthcare Department of the Basque Government manages 18 hospitals, over 300 primary care centers, employs around 5.300 healthcare professionals of a staff of 25.000, and covers a population over 2 million. It is the region's leading care provider.

The implementation of Agfa HealthCare's solutions will support the Basque country's ambitions to fully digitize the region with all Primary Care centers and Hospitals sharing radiology information. This includes the availability of information and reports to General Practioners in the region. A central RIS solution will unify all patient information across the entire network. The solutions will serve over 150 Radiologists and 2000 clinicians.

"We chose Agfa HealthCare for this extensive and ambitious project because of its strong international reputation and references in this field. The company managed to clearly show that they had successfully implemented and concluded similar multi-site projects in the past and would, as a result, also be able to meet our needs head-on", states Martín Begoña, CIO at Osakidetza. "The fact that the company was also able to deliver us a complete solutions portfolio, including CR systems, imagers, PACS and all the necessary supporting tools to meet our objectives was a critical part of the decision, and we are happy to say that they have delivered high quality results at the first roll-out sites."

"Agfa HealthCare has shown that its extensive solutions porfolio, designed to meet the needs of radiology departments in both single to multi-site facilities is recognized by the care sector as being the best in class", states Hans Vandewyngaerde, Vice President Region Europe at Agfa HealthCare. "This is something we are very proud of".

"Osakidetza's requirement for a fully integrated and structured approach to managing its radiology needs across an entire region is a strategy being rolled out by many care facilities and governments across Europe and North America" states Sergio Irayzoz Del Castillo, responsible for Healthcare IT at Agfa HealthCare in Spain, "Agfa HealthCare's extensive experience on this level, with numerous successful and many ongoing implementations on this scale, makes us the partner of choice for such ambitious projects and we look forward to a successful and oingoing relationship with Osakidetza".

Source: Agfa HealthCare