GE Healthcare Connects Medical Facilities Treating Athletes at Vancouver 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - Marks the Most Comprehensive IT
solution for Health Care Support in Olympic Games History

    
    -   Technology Gives Medical Staff at Remote Polyclinics and Mobile
        Medical Units Immediate Access to Most updated Information in
        Emergency Situations
    -   Improves access to medical support and eliminates need to transport
        athletes to different locations for treatment - ultimately allowing
        a quicker return to play
    

VANCOUVER , Feb. 10 /CNW/ - GE Healthcare announced today the implementation of GE's Centricity(R) Radiology-IW (PACS-IW and RIS-IC with Precision Reporting) solution in the Polyclinics at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, marking the first official use during Olympic Winter Games competition and the first Canadian use of this GE Healthcare IT imaging solution. With this technology, medical staff at remote facilities will have real-time access to the latest information and images when treating an injured athlete. The solution is being deployed at the Vancouver Polyclinic and links to both the Whistler Polyclinic and a Mobile Medical Unit (MMU), used to provide immediate access for emergencies.

The Centricity Radiology-IW offering combines the company's renowned web-based RIS: Centricity RIS-IC with Precision Reporting(TM) and web-based PACS: Centricity PACS-IW. This integrated IT solution will allow the clinical staff of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to digitize imaging workflow by creating a paperless environment to manage medical images and permit practitioners in different physical locations to access the same information simultaneously to facilitate efficient and informed clinical decision making.

For athletes, the clinician's ability to connect to other automated systems and health facilities could reduce or eliminate the need to transport athletes for medical advice. This improved access to medical support can ultimately allow a quicker return to competition.

"With the install of GE's Centricity Radiology-IW solution, we have the advanced tools in imaging allowing us the flexibility to view images in both Polyclinics that are more than two hours apart from each other," said Dr. Jack Taunton , chief medical officer of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. "This will also be the first time the medical staff can interface very easily with a large hospital authority like Vancouver Coastal Health that covers the whole Olympic Winter Games Corridor. I believe these multiple benefits will position the medical staff, as a whole, to provide more comprehensive clinical advice for athletes at the Games."

Built from its core around web-based portability and connectivity, Centricity Radiology-IW is designed for scalability and, with its user-friendly design, provides an "electronic trading post" for radiology images interfacing with other medical automation systems such as Hospital Information Systems (HIS), Electronic Medical Records Systems (EMR), Practice Management Systems, and Radiology Information Systems (RIS).

"Unfortunately, broken bones and torn ligaments often go hand-in-hand with heavy competition," said Vishal Wanchoo, president and CEO of GE Healthcare IT. "GE Healthcare IT is proud to play a major role in helping clinicians care for the 2010 Olympians at the Vancouver polyclinics, just as we do everyday in healthcare settings across the globe. We are confident that Centricity Radiology-IW will enhance the processes and workflow capabilities for the medical staff at the 2010 Winter Games."

About GE Healthcare:

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom , GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.

About GE's Olympic Games Sponsorship:

GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to staging a successful Olympic Games. GE works closely with host countries, cities and organizing committees to provide infrastructure solutions for Olympic Games venues including power, lighting, water treatment, transportation and security, and to supply hospitals with various medical technologies to help doctors treat athletes. In addition, NBC Universal, a division of GE, is the exclusive U.S. media partner of the Olympic Games, with its partnership also extending through 2012. For more information, please visit www.ge.com/olympicgames.

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: GE Healthcare, Arvind Gopalratnam, [phone], [email protected]