Mortsel, Belgium -- Agfa HealthCare has entered into a dualsource agreement for Agfa's IMPAXTM 6.0 PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) with Health Management Associates, Inc. (NYSE:HMA). HMA is the premier operator of acute care hospitals primarily in the non-urban south-east and south-west areas of the United States. These regions offer substantial opportunity for improving healthcare services because medical facilities are less developed there than in heavily populated urban areas.

The multi-million dollar agreement, which was reached after an extensive evaluation of six vendors, names Agfa, along with General Electric (GE), as one of the two 'Vendors of Choice' for HMA's network of 63 hospitals. It is anticipated that 75% of the hospitals within the HMA organization will have fully implemented PACS systems in place over the next two years.

Hospitals brought into the HMA network are quickly targeted for upgraded medical equipment and services, improving the quality of healthcare delivery and giving them the ability to expand their medical services. With the improvements, community residents gain access to advanced specialty medical care, practically eliminating the need for extended travels to distant hospitals in larger urban centers.

"Agfa is excited to be involved with HMA in this project that will bring high-quality medical solutions such as our PACS system to areas that are traditionally and unfortunately underserved," said Bob Pryor, president, Agfa HealthCare, Americas. "Agfa's latest image and information management solution, IMPAX 6.0, helps HMA hospitals provide the latest in today's technology to those who, in the past, were least likely to be able to benefit from it."

IMPAX 6.0, the sixth generation of Agfa's leading PACS solution, is a robust, web-deployable application for image-based planning, interpretation and results distribution. Integrated with Agfa's IMPAX RIS (Radiology Information System) and TalkStation^TM voice recognition reporting, it enables healthcare facilities to optimize clinical and IT efficiencies with a single workflow-based system.

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