Medical Imaging Northwest Selects Compressus for Enterprise Interoperability

MEDxConnect(TM) System Implementation Features Integration with McKesson PACS and Kodak Carestream to Provide Seamless Distribution of Data across Disparate Network

CHICAGO, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Compressus, leaders in interoperability of disparate healthcare IT systems, and Medical Imaging Northwest (MINW) announced an agreement to implement a single Enterprise-wide worklist solution, integrating digital imaging and data management systems at multiple sites in the Tacoma, Wash., area, including Diagnostic Imaging Centers, Good Samaritan Hospital and Allenmore Hospital. The announcement was made here at 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), November 29 – December 5, 2008.

Supporting 12 sites in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Auburn, Covington and Northshore in South King and Pierce Counties in Washington State with 23 board certified radiologists, MINW reads and creates nearly, 350,000 diagnostic imaging exams a year. MINW selected Compressus to complete an Enterprise-wide integration of its disparate RIS, PACS, voice recognition (VR) software and workstation viewers by early 2009. Involving the installation of a spectrum of MEDxConnect(TM) System components, the implementation is designed to provide workflow and data management, workflow viewing, patient ID management and short term archiving requirements to support its service expansion goals of handling more than 550,000 diagnostic imaging exams a year.

“MINW provides diagnostic services to patients across a broad geographic area from a large number of our satellite sites and imaging center clients. The resulting system conflicts and manual data entry and workarounds impact our productivity and reduce our ability to get the right image to the right specialist, regardless of system or location,” said Andrew Levine, MD, Chair, Medical Imaging Northwest, LLP. “The MEDxConnect solution emphasizes the electronic collection and distribution of DICOM and HL7 digital imaging data with the goal of providing MINW a workflow management and integrated diagnostic solution that improves productivity and helps us manage operational costs.”

The MINW implementation will emphasizes the electronic collection and distribution of DICOM and HL7 digital imaging data, including integrating with McKesson PACS for storage and retrieval transmission of imaging data to McKesson HRS and Kodak Carestream workstations and integration to the RIS either direct or through Cloverleaf. Another central component of the solution will be integrating to PowerScribe v. 4.8 voice recognition software for the generation of reports and addendums.

According to Dr. Levine, MINW’s clients will also realize greater efficiency and productivity as a result of the implementation. “The true benefactors of this implementation will be our imaging service customers and their patients. Automated pre-fetching of prior studies from disparate archives will result in better diagnostic services and fewer repeat or unnecessary exams. Combined with full integration with our McKesson PACS and multiple PowerScribe and voice recognition and dictation systems, this implementation will enable our radiologists to dramatically cut the turnaround time on reports and read more exams. Ultimately, we expect the result will be faster, more accurate and better patient care.”

The MEDxConnect System acts as a communications hub, enabling various PACS, HIS, RIS and other data information systems to connect and communicate across the Enterprise. Utilizing HL7, DICOM, and other standards, the System helps control the flow of images, reports, messages, standard patient demographics and other important data for diagnosis and treatment planning of a patient between otherwise independent and disparate systems. The integrated imaging and data management solution from Compressus is designed to support a facility’s current and expanded workload and provide an infrastructure for sustained growth. Building the functionality required for remote connectivity, the system enables users to access diagnostic images and reports in the existing data stores at each facility, increasing the level of medical care while reducing the associated costs.

“Providing high quality and cost-effective teleradiology services is increasingly difficult as radiology practices battle both resource constraints and system connectivity conflicts,” said Janine Broda, Chief Marketing Officer for Compressus. “MINW came to us with very specific goals for a comprehensive interoperability solution to support its high standards for quality patient care and aggressive business expansion goals. We look forward to working closely with MINW to achieve seamless connectivity across their complex network of disparate PACS, RIS, workstations and other healthcare IT systems.”

About Compressus, Inc.

Established in 2000, Compressus, Inc., is a medical software company offering proven interoperability solutions to the rapidly growing healthcare IT market. Its MEDxConnect software is the first solution that indexes, integrates and routes all relevant patient medical information to the healthcare professional in real time, thus dramatically improving physician efficiency, reducing enterprise costs and increasing patient safety. The MEDxConnect Products address the problems associated with integrating healthcare enterprises plagued by the lack of connectivity and interoperability between disparate islands of HIS, RIS and PACS systems. The MEDxConnect System is a suite of offerings designed to manage the workflow of an imaging healthcare enterprise. It has the power to connect disparate HIS/RIS/PACS systems and provide automated interoperability to the enterprise and allows an organization with disparate multi-vendor systems function as one virtual enterprise.

RSNA Booth #4073 (South)

SOURCE Compressus, Inc.