RIS/PACS to Be Expanded into Existing HIS in Chinese Medical University

Innovative imaging informatics systems are to be expanded into image intensive departments and integrated with existing hospital information systems (HIS) at a Chinese medical university.

Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium), a leading provider of information technology- (IT)-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging systems, has been chosen to implement a second-phase radiology information system/picture archiving and communications system (RIS/PACS) program at the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University (Shanghai; China). The selection is a follow-up to a first successful cooperation with Agfa HealthCare for the development and rollout of the hospital's original RIS/PACS in 2006. The project will support the First Affiliated Hospital's quest to bring its facility closer to a fully digital environment.

The new collaboration with Agfa Healthcare, planned for June 2008 to kick off, will expand the existing RIS/PACS to also service the different image intensive departments outside radiology, including trauma and cardiology. In a final phase, the entire RIS/PACS will be integrated with the hospital's HIS, allowing the distribution of diagnostic information to all clinical departments within the institution. When completed, the phase II RIS/PACS projects will provide clinicians with a complete overview of available diagnostic data, and an integrated information and remote consultation technology platform, allowing the hospital to improve its medical service and management efficiency.

The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University is a general hospital over 100 years old, with 1,500 beds and a daily average outpatient visit of over 4,500 individuals. The hospital is an early adopter of HIS in China. In 2001, it set up the laboratory information system (LIS) and realized the integration with HIS. Its radiology department has 16 large digital imaging devices with a daily examination rate of 700 patients.

"We look forward to a long-lasting relationship with the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, as we support its drive to move to a fully digital environment,” stated Paul Gooden, Agfa HealthCare IT general manager Asia Pacific. "When completed, this project will be an important showcase for RIS/PACS integration in China, and we are proud to have played our role in this exciting venture.”


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China Medical University