Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg replaces diverse PACS systems with a complete, integrated Agfa HealthCare IMPAX solution

- Interdisciplinary hospital implements IMPAX for Cardiology, IMPAX for Radiology and IMPAX Enterprise

- Dynamic, multi-site hospital is first to simultaneously implement three integrated Agfa HealthCare IMPAX systems.

- Long-term Agfa HealthCare customer already uses IMPAX RIS, ORBIS Care and ORBIS Medical.

Agfa HealthCare announces today that long-term customer Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg (ZOL) will implement IMPAX for Cardiology, IMPAX for Radiology and IMPAX Enterprise. This is the first time the three picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) will be implemented at the same time, creating a fully integrated, interdisciplinary system. ZOL already uses Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX radiology information system (RIS) and hospital-wide ORBIS solutions.

Regional care center providing specialized medical services
ZOL is a three-site hospital facility serving the eastern area of the Limburg province in Belgium. Its hospitals in Waterschei, Lanaken and Genk count a total of 814 beds and employ more than 2700 staff members and 225 doctors. Besides its regional function, ZOL provides a number of specialized medical services, including heart surgery and neuro surgery facilities and expertise, along with a fertility center, to name a few.

Long-term relationship builds trust
ZOL has implemented several Agfa HealthCare solutions over the past eight years, including IMPAX RIS, nursing management system ORBIS Care, clinical information management system ORBIS Medical and Agfa HealthCare's medical record. "Having worked for so long with Agfa HealthCare, we knew they were the right partner to help us replace our existing, diverse PACS systems with a complete, integrated solution that would meet our needs across the care center and the individual departments," says Bart Claes, ICT Manager at ZOL. "With IMPAX, images from any DICOM modality are accessible from anywhere in the hospital, and even off-site - securely. It's an open system that interfaces with systems from other vendors, so it gives us the flexibility we need."

Balancing department and enterprise needs
The new IMPAX system will integrate Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX for Cardiology, IMPAX for Radiology and IMPAX Enterprise solutions, creating an interdisciplinary system that facilitates information sharing and balances the specific needs of the cardiology and radiology workflows with the benefits of a fully integrated healthcare enterprise. The implementation is expected to begin in May 2011. Once completed, ZOL will be using the complete Agfa HealthCare IT portfolio.

IMPAX used in the major hospitals across Limburg
"Now that ZOL has chosen IMPAX, all major hospitals in the entire province of Limburg will be using Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX RIS/PACS solutions - a fact we are very proud of," comments Frank Michiels, Country Manager Agfa HealthCare Belux. "This new project shows how our combination of integrated solutions, the right functionalities and customer focus can help us add value to our existing relationships by expanding them into additional areas."