Diagnostic Imaging Data Center and Virtual Private Network to Provide Patient Record Access

The provision and hosting of a new diagnostic imaging data center and virtual private network (VPN) services has been implemented for 33 hospitals across Ontario, Canada.

Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium), a leading provider of information technology- (IT)-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging systems, and Teranet (Toronto, Canada), a leading provider of integrated land-based information products are the collaborators for the project.

The Hospital Diagnostic Imaging Repository Services (HDIRS) PACS project (picture archiving and communications system) is a joint initiative of 23 hospital corporations to share diagnostic images and reports across 33 Ontario hospital sites. The HDIRS project-- formerly known as the Toronto East Network (TEN)--is part of the Canadian Health Infoway initiative to accelerate the implementation of effective and secure health information systems, leading to the eventual goal of an electronic medical record (EMR) for every Canadian.

Agfa HealthCare will implement the diagnostic imaging data center to centrally store patient images and reports, all of which will be stored in Teranet's secure data centers. The 33 participating hospital sites will have secure and real-time access to relevant patient images, including ultrasounds and X-rays from different hospital sites, regardless of the original point of care. Moreover, the project will provide disaster recovery, business continuity services, and network management to improve hospital services and the delivery of patient care.

"Today's Canadian health system requires a more secure and efficient method to process increasing amounts of medical data. Teranet's proven capabilities are helping to improve the secure delivery of patient information across the HDIRS network of Ontario hospitals,” said Pat Ryan, general manager, HDIRS. "We are looking forward to extending this partnership and working to make Canada Health Infoway's national e-health initiative a reality.”

Donald Stokes, healthcare business lead at Teranet said, "This innovative project is a clear example of how Teranet's secure electronic services can benefit medical care while increasing efficiencies and reducing costs for health administrators. We are excited to support Ontario's e-health goals, and to work with Agfa HealthCare to bring those to fruition.”

According to Michael Green, regional manager IT Business Division, Agfa HealthCare, Canada, "the Ontario-based HDIRS project is a vital undertaking as shared electronic patient information is a huge piece of the e-health puzzle. This project is a huge leap forward toward achieving Canada's EMR goals, and will help healthcare organizations improve the delivery of patient care while improving the security of medical records.”


Related Links:
Agfa HealthCare
Teranet