Cardiology Image Management, Analysis, and Reporting Software Helps Save Time and Simplifies Workflow

A cardiology image management, analysis, and reporting system provides critical patient information across the care continuum via enhanced connectivity with other hospital information systems and the patient’s electronic medical record (EMR).

Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands) announced the availability of Xcelera R3.2, the latest release of its multimodality cardiology image management, analysis, and reporting solution. Building on the successful Xcelera platform, Xcelera R3.2 continues to optimize clinician workflow by functioning as a single resource for patient cardiovascular imaging information and study management. It offers a highly configurable, scalable, and customizable solution that can grow to meet clinician needs.

Optional sophisticated quantification applications provide analytical assessment for ultrasound, cardiovascular X-ray, nuclear medicine, as well as clinical review of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electrophysiology (EP) examinations. An optional interface enables the viewing of electrocardiograms from select systems via the Xcelera workspace. The system also performs the necessary functions for exam storage, allows for study review, and offers optional pediatric decision support and clinical reporting tools.

Xcelera’s available telecardiology features enable images and reports to be accessed remotely through a secure connection. Hospitals can share information with affiliated clinics or other sites in a larger enterprise and allow cardiologists to access relevant studies, because the system delivers the ability to view full-fidelity images, perform quantification, utilizing the optional QLAB 8.1 plug ins, and create reports.

Moreover, Xcelera R3.2 offers several new features that support and enhance clinical workflow: (1) Support for Enterprise Master Patient Index (eMPI) provides a patient-oriented perspective that can increase efficiency for the clinician, by allowing for a single view of patient records and all relevant cardiovascular studies from multiple institutions in one “virtual” patient folder. This eliminates the inefficiencies that can result if a patient has different medical record numbers assigned at each of those facilities. (2) New, customizable security features can be managed by Xcelera to restrict or grant access to users on an individual basis, including the ability to control user access to data at the institutional and enterprise levels. (3) A new Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) measurement mapping tool improves interoperability with other vendors’ ultrasound systems that export DICOM-structured reporting (SR), and enables users to access rich clinical ultrasound information in Xcelera. (4) Collaboration with TomTec Imaging Systems, GmbH (Unterschleissheim, Germany), added its ImageArena suite of advanced quantification plug-ins as available options, allowing assessments of two-dimensional (2D) and live 3D/4D imaging studies from most major ultrasound equipment providers. (5) Lastly, support for the new Philips QLAB 8.1 quantification software, which assists with analysis of image data acquired on Philips ultrasound systems, providing semiautomated and objective methods for quantifying ultrasound data.

“The Xcelera 3.2 is an even more robust solution, while still maintaining the system’s original reliability and responsiveness,” said Eckart Fleck, MD, director of Internal Medicine-cardiology at the German Heart Institute (Berlin). “Its advanced image reviewing capabilities enable a complete patient workup, allowing for the review of ultrasound, CT, and MRI images, regardless of the images’ source. This is a major advantage in comprehensive patient care.”

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