Agfa chooses single platform for all healthcare applications
4 March 2005
Mortsel, Belgium. Agfa announced its global portfolio strategy and that
it has chosen one platform as the foundation for all future software
applications in healthcare. The platform will combine ORBIS and IMPAX and
will enable healthcare providers to improve clinical outcomes and patient
care at lower cost. ORBIS, developed by GWI, is an enterprise-wide IT
platform and suite of applications which integrates all administrative and
clinical data within a hospital. Combined with IMPAX, Agfa's Picture
Archiving and Communication System, Agfa offers the most comprehensive suite
of healthcare IT solutions within a framework which is customizable with a
high level of integration.
Through organic growth and acquisitions Agfa is pioneering the
international roll-out of a hospital-wide comprehensive information
management system. Agfa gained this leading position in healthcare IT in
Europe with the recent acquisitions of GWI, a European company prominent in
the fast-growing market of healthcare information systems and the original
developer of ORBIS, and Symphonie On Line, a leading vendor in France in
Hospital Information Systems.
This decision allows Agfa to take the lead in Europe in implementing the
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) that governments worldwide are encouraging
healthcare providers to adopt. Agfa now offers the required integration and
interoperability of clinical, administrative and diagnostic systems to
healthcare providers of all sizes.
A focal point of Agfa's healthcare strategy is the ORBIS platform and its
unique workflow and information management capabilities. ORBIS contains over
100 modules, which can be used to build and customize at the point of care,
according to hospitals' growing and changing needs. This will be seamlessly
integrated with the clinical depth of the workflow driven IMPAX systems.
"Healthcare facilities and medical professionals need better access to
critical information and decision support tools that will allow them to
continually improve patient care at lower cost. Agfa's strength lies in the
combination and integration of the comprehensive approach and the clinical
focus and depth," said Philippe Houssiau, President, HealthCare Business
Group, Agfa.
Tangible benefits of this comprehensive approach include increased
decision support systems for treatment and decreased duration of hospital
stays. The strategy supports the rapid move to patient-centric management in
an environment where diagnosis and procedures have to be recorded, findings
and therapy results documented, instructions issued and work assigned. ORBIS
blends these clinical and administrative processes into one holistic system.
The system has already been successfully installed in over 600 sites in
Europe. ORBIS is currently available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
"Agfa's other enterprise-wide offerings which are available outside of
Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be supported to ensure that our
customers achieve the value from their investments."
"Our in-depth understanding of the realities, needs and issues of the
healthcare environment and its expertise in clinical workflow and the care
process has materialized in a unique offering that makes Agfa the preferred
partner for healthcare providers," said Mr. Houssiau.
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