PACS replacement meets Air Force’s strict security requirements and enables consolidation of image and data archives
Mortsel, Belgium / Greenville, SC (U.S.) – July 14, 2009 – 9:00am EDT Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces today that the U.S. Air Force has selected and deployed IMPAX® PACS (picture archiving and communication system) to replace the existing PACS at Keesler Medical Center at Keesler Air Force Base.
Located in Biloxi, Miss., Keesler Medical Center is one of the largest medical centers in the Air Force. Its diagnostic imaging department boasts a wide array of state-of-the-art equipment, including the Air Force’s only 3-Tesla MRI system.
The Air Force chose IMPAX primarily because of Agfa HealthCare’s ability to meet its stringent network security standards. “The security and privacy of our patients is one of our chief concerns, and we challenge our IT vendors to meet tough security requirements,” said Tom Lewis, Director, AF PACS Office. "Agfa HealthCare consistently delivers technology that meets our security needs.” IMPAX security features include armoring, encryption, access control, auditing and compliance with regional legislation. These features will allow the Air Force to reach its eventual goal of securely connecting and consolidating data and imaging archives located at multiple regional facilities onto a single point of storage. The ability to span multi-site environments enables a longitudinal view of the patient record, which is particularly important given the mobility of military service personnel.
Agfa HealthCare is a recognized leader in PACS security, a critical component of interconnecting facilities from the military branches and Veterans Affairs (VA).
Last year, the company became the first vendor to earn an accreditation based on rigorous Department of Defense guidelines that allows the latest version of IMPAX to be installed on Air Force networks.
In addition to providing the high levels of security that the Air Force required, Agfa HealthCare was able to meet the Air Force’s aggressive delivery and deployment schedule. Rapid implementation of a more efficient PACS enabled the Air Force to quickly reduce legacy PACS operation and maintenance expenses by streamlining enterprise workflow and delivering increased efficiency and productivity.
Agfa HealthCare has developed a strong presence in U.S. military and VA hospitals and medical treatment facilities, which use IMPAX PACS, computed radiography (CR) / digital radiography (DR), and speech recognition solutions.
The company’s technology is installed in more than 160 military and VA facilities, including 14 sites in Europe, five of the VA’s multi-facility Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), and more than 30 Navy ships.
“The Air Force and other branches of the armed services have always required technology that enables sophisticated multi-site healthcare and radiology delivery. Their selection of IMPAX for Keesler Medical Center is a testament to our commitment to meeting the strict requirements of all of our customers," said Tim Artz, Global Government Program Director for Agfa HealthCare. “As the private sector begins to face similar technology challenges, Agfa HealthCare will continue to be very competitive in all sectors by embracing customer requirements to help them meet their evolving needs.” About Agfa
The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading companies in imaging and information technology. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), for the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare), and for specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3,032 million euro in 2008.
About Agfa HealthCare
Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic image management solutions, and state-of-the-art systems for capturing and processing images in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Agfa HealthCare has over a century of healthcare experience related to diagnostic imaging and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990’s. The business group has sales offices and agents in over 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2008 were 1,223 million euro.
Agfa and the Agfa rhombus are trademarks of Agfa-Gevaert NV Belgium or its affiliates. IMPAX is a trademark of Agfa HealthCare NV Belgium or its affiliates. All rights reserved. All information contained herein is intended for guidance purposes only, and characteristics of the products and services described in this publication can be changed at any time without notice. Products and services may not be available for your local area. Please contact your local sales representative for availability information. Agfa HealthCare diligently strives to provide as accurate information as possible, but shall not be responsible for any typographical error.