Early Screening System Detects Diabetic Retinopathy

A novel end-to-end retinal screening solution quickly identifies and diagnoses patients with diabetic retinal disease.

The iConnect Retinal Screening solution enables providers to efficiently capture retinal images through an automated camera, reducing the need for staff to receive specialty training. Images are transferred via the cloud to the Merge Eye Care PACS reading center, an interoperable, subscription-based service where trained technicians and pathologists bear the responsibility of identifying, diagnosing, and delivering results. The results are then transmitted via the iConnect Network to the provider's electronic health record (EHR) system to allow for timely, customized care plans.

The solution thus streamlines operational workflow, reduces financial costs, and enables of the improvement of clinical care quality by leveraging the iConnect Cloud Archive infrastructure. The first phase of the solution will enable automated, early screening detection of diabetic retinopathy, an increasingly common complication of diabetes and one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness among working-aged adults. The iConnect Retinal Screening solution, Eye Care PACS, and iConnect Network are services of Merge Healthcare (Chicago, IL, USA).

“Diabetes affects more than 347 million people globally, and it's estimated that one out of every five US healthcare dollars is spent on this disease,” said Steven Tolle, chief strategy officer at Merge Healthcare. “By creating a solution that addresses both patient and provider knowledge gaps, we're helping providers more easily diagnose and treat not only diabetes, but retinal disease as a whole. Patients, in turn, are empowered with faster treatment plans which can reduce the risk of negative side effects.”

“By leveraging our existing cloud technology, Merge customers will be able to enhance care for the large number of diabetic patients in our nation,” said Justin Dearborn, CEO of Merge Healthcare. “Our deep expertise with other specialty screenings, such as mammography, cervical and cardiology, positions us well to help in the eye care market. This new, end-to-end solution will be a win-win for patients and providers, enabling a detrimental disease to be diagnosed and treated earlier having the additional benefit of reducing short- and long-term healthcare costs.”

The iConnect Network allows hospitals, providers, and imaging centers to exchange imaging information electronically with community physicians that are connected to Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) or electronic health records (EHR) networks, such as the Surescripts (Arlington, VA, USA) Clinical Network Services (CNS).

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