Diagnostic imaging repository powered by Agfa HealthCare gives healthcare providers secure access to vital patient information, regardless of location

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, announces today it has been selected as the vendor of choice by New Brunswick, one of Canada's provinces, to deliver a Diagnostic Imaging Repository (DI-r). The agreement is a major step forward for the province as it leaps forward with its e-Health strategy - One Patient One Record - which will provide the infrastructure and functionality required to capture, store, view and link relevant patient information for its 740,000 residents.

New Brunswick has partnered with Canada Health Infoway, which is contributing $18.2 million to the overall initiative, with the remaining $17.7 million coming from the province. The province expects to implement its One Patient One Record system during the next three years.

Working with established partners for delivering consulting and implementation services, Agfa HealthCare will create a Diagnostic Imaging Repository based on its IMPAX® Data Center concept, for consolidating images and radiology reports into a central system. The information can be retained for a patient’s lifetime, and is available in a standardized format, for the use of authorized clinicians. Doctors, nurses and technologists will have secure log-in access to relevant prior patient images, regardless of where they were acquired. Not only will the repository help clinicians make informed decisions about the optimal care given to patients, healthcare facilities can also expect to significantly reduce costs, by for example, avoiding the duplication of imaging exams due to lost paper files.

“The drive toward the implementation of the One Patient One Record system shows that New Brunswick is a true Canadian e-Health leader,” said Michael Green, President and CEO of Agfa HealthCare Canada. “Leveraging Agfa HealthCare’s interoperable technology, this province-wide repository addresses the need for integration across healthcare facilities. Not only will this provide more informed decision making, it will also enhance the delivery of patient care for the residents of New Brunswick.’’

About Agfa

The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading imaging and information technology companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare) and specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries throughout the world. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3,283 million Euro in 2007.

About Agfa HealthCare

Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT- nabled clinical workflow and diagnostic image management solutions, and state-of-the- rt 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 HealthCare division has sales offices and agents in over 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2007 were 1,392 million Euro, accounting for 43% of total group sales.

For more information on Agfa HealthCare, please visit www.agfa.com/healthcare