Cardiology Information Management System Provides Upgrade Path to Improve Workflow and Enhance Patient Care

A new cardiology information-management system is a powerful and secure centralized solution that addresses efficiency and workflow challenges, helping caregivers manage the multitude of examinations and procedures that their patients undergo receiving cardiac care.

Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands) announced volume shipments of a new version of its Xcelera multimodality cardiology-image management, analysis, and reporting solution. The new Xcelera R2.2 provides enhanced functionality and greater workflow efficiency to approximately 3,000 Philips cardiology informatics customers around the world.

"Bringing together the cardiac patient's clinical information from multiple exams and procedures is imperative to delivering quality care while controlling costs. As a long-term Xcelera customer, we are delighted with the enhancements of the R2.2 version and are very impressed with how well it adapted to our clinical environment,” said Dr Kirk Spencer, associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago (IL, USA). "The upgrade went very smoothly and the Philips team did a superb job throughout the process. We intend to further expand the system to take full advantage of all that Xcelera R2.2 has to offer.”

With the launch of the Xcelera R2.2, approximately 3,000 existing Philips cardiology informatics customers worldwide now have an upgrade path to this enhanced platform with its greater integration and connectivity capabilities. Xcelera was recently awarded as a category leader for cardiology reporting and documentation in Klas' 2007 Top 20 Best in KLAS report (New York, NY, USA).

"We are thrilled to be able to deliver Xcelera R2.2 and offer the extensive new R2 platform enhancements to our thousands of loyal customers across the globe,” said Ronald Tabaksblat, vice president and general manager of the cardiology informatics business for Philips Healthcare. "This achievement marks the second major Xcelera release in less than a year. As evidenced by our recent acquisition of TomCat Systems of Belfast, Ireland, we are committed to being a long-term trusted partner for all of our cardiology customers.”

Xcelera R2.2 offers improved support for imaging studies and data from key cardiac subspecialties including cardiac catheterization and cardiovascular ultrasound, and additionally supports nuclear cardiology, cardiac computed tomography (CT), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electrophysiology. It also provides access to relevant electrocardiograms (ECGs) from market-leading ECG management systems from multiple vendors.

Moreover, Xcelera R2.2 provides embedded support for the new AutoQUANT v7.0 nuclear cardiology quantification package, which allows clinicians to rapidly analyze heart structure and function. The system is also compatible with existing and forthcoming versions of the Philips QLAB range of sophisticated ultrasound quantification tools.

Xcelera's user-friendly design allows clinicians to analyze and compare results from multi-modality exams and procedures at a single workspace, while the Xcelera WebForum option provides simplified distribution of studies and clinical reports across the healthcare enterprise.

The system also offers connectivity with Philips' Xper Information Management system. Introduced in 2007, this cardiovascular workflow system provides hemodynamic monitoring, charting, reporting, scheduling, and inventory management for the cath lab suite. By combining these two solutions with the Philips Allura Xper range of cardiovascular imaging system, caregivers can benefit from a fluid cath-lab workflow, allowing for maximum focus on the patient.


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