New agreement signed in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Filip of Belgium
Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces today that it has signed an agreement with the Fundação Instituto de Pesquisa e Estudo de Diagnóstico por Imagen (FIDI) for the delivery and installation of its digital imaging and healthcare IT solutions across the facility’s 25 sites. The agreement was signed in the presence of His Royal Highness, Prince Filip of Belgium, who is on an economic mission in the region.
In total the agreement foresees the installation of Computed Radiography(CR) systems for converting analog diagnostic images to digital formats, the company's Picture Archiving and Communication System(PACS) IMPAXfor managing and distributing diagnostic images and information, a Radiology Information System(RIS) enabling radiologists toelectronically manage end-to-endoperations,and a central imaging repositorysolution to centralize all image-related information across 25 sites.
IDI Foundation is one of Brazil's largest diagnostic imaging groups. The facility's 25 locations across Sao Paolo in Brazil manage around 3 million diagnostic imaging exams, from 90 modalities (including CT, MRI, UltraSound and Nuclear Medicine) each year. The foundation is recognized as a Public Utility, private, philanthropic and nonprofit organization. IDI Foundation employs around 200 radiologists and 1000 staff members, including administrative workers, IT and radiology technicians. IDI Foundation is also a key service provider to the Department of Health of the State of São Paulo and also to the Department of Health of the Municipality of São Paulo.
Agfa HealthCare was awarded the contract after a Request for Proposal (RfP) was issued by the foundation, inviting several providers to compete for the tender. The project will be completed by early 2011 and implementation of the new solutions will occur in three phases.
"Agfa HealthCare went to great lengths to analyze our requirements, discuss the options and present a viable solution to meet our needs" states Prof. Dr. Nitamar Abdala, Director at IDI Foundation. "Processing, storing and managing over 3 million exams each year is an enormous challenge for any organization, but after having been introduced to the company's successful implementations in, amongst others, Canada, we were convinced we had the right candidate for the task", says Prof. Dr. Jacob Szejnfeld, President of IDI Foundation.
"It is an honor to have been selected by IDI Foundation after a rigorous evaluation process", states Luc Thijs, Vice President of Agfa HealthCare's Growth Markets. "IDI Foundation is a leading diagnostic center, with an outstanding level of expertise, and their recognition of our solutions and capabilities is an important acknowledgment of Agfa HealthCare's capabilities, in the region and beyond."
Agfa HealthCare launched a Brazilian, Portuguese language, version of its IMPAX system in 2006. Today the company is a leading player on the Brazilian healthcare market, with 14 large hospital sites relying on its PACS solutions for their daily diagnostic imaging needs. Agfa HealthCare has six offices across Latin America, including one in Brazil.