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Enterprise-wide solution integrates cardiac and radiographic studies, enabling facility to Practice collaborative medicine

Founded in 1937, the 222-bed Alton Memorial Hospital located in Alton, IL, served more than 90,000 patients in 2003. The local leader in cardiology services and a member of BJC HealthCare based in St. Louis, Alton Memorial Hospital opened the region's first diagnostic cardiac catheterization lab in 1988 and the first balloon angioplasty program in 2000. The hospital provides numerous other heart care services, including enhanced external counterpulsation and a complete cardiac rehabilitation program that features state-of-the-art exercise and monitoring equipment.

Alton Memorial Hospital performs approximately 900 diagnostic cardiac cath cases per year and also performs more than 70,000 radiology exams annually. Recently, Alton Memorial Hospital announced an enterprise-wide digital imaging initiative. The hospital intends to implement the project in multiple phases, with the initial phase beginning with cath, echo and EKG capture, information analysis, integrated reporting and system management for the Cardiac Services Group.

Assisting Alton with their digital initiative is Los Altos-based ScImage. The enterprise PACS provider will serve both radiology and cardiology to provide a single point of access for patient studies and information generated in both the cardiology and radiology departments. Once all phases of the project are completed, ScImage's enterprise-wide PACS , PicomEnterprise, will give caregivers at Alton Memorial - and eventually at other institutions in BJC - an overall centralized integrated solution with the means for accessing data collected in multiple departments.

About Alton Memorial Hospital

Founded in 1936, Alton Memorial Hospital is a JCAHO-accredited, full-service hospital serving the River Bend area of southwestern Illinois. Recognized for its heart services, orthopedic surgery, oncology services, women's health services, outpatient surgery and testing, gastroenterology, pain management, pulmonary medicine, rehabilitation and sports medicine, the hospital also provides numerous health education and wellness programs to the people of Alton, IL and the surrounding communities. In addition to boasting the area's only balloon angioplasty program, Alton Memorial Hospital offers open MRI through Twin Rivers MRI Center, CT services, PET imaging, nuclear medicine and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Source: ScImage

You can also discuss more about Cardiology and related topics in our Cardiology Group.