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Medical imaging
GE installs leading-edge PACS at
Olympics
 VANCOUVER – GE
Healthcare has implemented its Centricity Radiology-IW solution in the
Polyclinics at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,
marking the first official use during Olympic Winter Games competition
and the first Canadian use of this GE Healthcare IT imaging solution.
With this technology, which combines PACS and RIS with precision
reporting, medical staff at remote facilities will have real-time access
to the latest information and images when treating an injured athlete.
The solution is being deployed at the Vancouver Polyclinic and includes
linkages to both the Whistler Polyclinic and a Mobile Medical Unit (MMU),
used to provide immediate access for emergencies.
This integrated IT solution will allow the clinical staff of the Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games to digitize imaging workflow by creating a
paperless environment to manage medical images. It will enable
practitioners in different physical locations to access the same
information simultaneously to facilitate efficient and informed clinical
decision-making.
For athletes, the clinician’s ability to connect to other automated
systems and health facilities could reduce or eliminate the need to
transport athletes for medical advice. This improved access to medical
support can ultimately allow a quicker return to competition.
“With the install of GE’s Centricity Radiology-IW solution, we have the
advanced tools in imaging allowing us the flexibility to view images in
both Polyclinics that are more than two hours apart from each other,”
said Dr. Jack Taunton (pictured), chief medical officer of the Vancouver
2010 Olympic Winter Games.
“This will also be the first time the medical staff can interface very
easily with a large hospital authority like Vancouver Coastal Health
that covers the whole Olympic Winter Games Corridor. I believe these
multiple benefits will position the medical staff, as a whole, to
provide more comprehensive clinical advice for athletes at the Games.”
According to GE Healthcare, the web-based Centricity Radiology-IW is
designed for scalability and, with its user-friendly design, provides an
“electronic trading post” for radiology images interfacing with other
medical automation systems – such as Hospital Information Systems (HIS),
Electronic Medical Records Systems (EMR), Practice Management Systems,
and Radiology Information Systems (RIS).
“Unfortunately, broken bones and torn ligaments often go hand-in-hand
with heavy competition,” said Vishal Wanchoo, president and CEO of GE
Healthcare IT. “GE Healthcare IT is proud to play a major role in
helping clinicians care for the 2010 Olympians at the Vancouver
polyclinics, just as we do every day in healthcare settings across the
globe. We are confident that Centricity Radiology-IW will enhance the
processes and workflow capabilities for the medical staff at the 2010
Winter Games.”
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and
services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise
in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics,
patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical
manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance
solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more
people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with
healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change
necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare
systems. Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world
to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused
on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and
efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE
Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE).
Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to
serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100
countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website
at www.gehealthcare.com.
About GE’s Olympic Games Sponsorship
GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and
services that are integral to staging a successful Olympic Games. GE
works closely with host countries, cities and organizing committees to
provide infrastructure solutions for Olympic Games venues including
power, lighting, water treatment, transportation and security, and to
supply hospitals with various medical technologies to help doctors treat
athletes. In addition, NBC Universal, a division of GE, is the exclusive
U.S. media partner of the Olympic Games, with its partnership also
extending through 2012. For more information, please visit
www.ge.com/olympicgames.
Posted February 11, 2010
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