Mortsel / Brussels, Belgium -- Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, and the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel hospital, linked to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel university (Free University of Brussels), have signed a long term agreement to advance current research surrounding hospital IT and diagnostic imaging solutions. The contract covers core projects designed to improve clinical IT workflow solutions (supporting patient scheduling, reporting, medical documentation, image management, advanced decision support and so forth) and to deliver next generation clinical imaging applications, with a view to improved disease management.

The agreement is part of an extensive research program run by Agfa HealthCare across a number of academic institutions, as well as national and international healthcare initiatives. In support of the agreement, Agfa HealthCare and the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel hospital have set up a professorial chair to help advance research related to healthcare informatics and medical image processing.

"This level of co-operation is key to the future of healthcare, which requires collaboration between academic and industrial partners, bringing the best of both worlds together for the benefit of patients worldwide," states Philippe Houssiau, President of Agfa HealthCare. "Our agreement with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel university will allow us to actively continue our pursuit of evidence based solutions and innovations to meet the ever growing needs of our customers in the near future".

Information Technology solutions in hospitals today are designed to improve overall efficiency, reduce cost and improve patient care and safety. An increasing number of hospitals are currently implementing enterprise IT solutions throughout their facilities, designed to more effectively link up clinical and administrative work and cross-departmental information. Recent research supported by Agfa Healthcare has revealed that European hospitals are increasingly investing in IT infrastructure to improve their overall efficiency, with over 42 percent (1) of hospitals surveyed currently spending between 2 and 5 percent of their annual operating budget on IT solutions. This level of spending is expected to increase over the coming years, with 75 percent of all hospitals surveyed indicating that IT solutions are already a key strategic requirement for them in the short term.

"The research programs which we have agreed to undertake today will help ensure that academics and industrial partners are continuously innovating, for the benefit of clinicians and their patients worldwide," states Professor Doctor Marc Noppen, Managing Director of the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel hospital, "Together with Agfa HealthCare we will strive for ever evolving and improving healthcare solutions, delivering next generation applications for tomorrow's hospital environments."

Specific details on the projects will remain confidential.

(1) NOTE: 2007 Leader Health - HIMMS Analytics Health Care Leaders Report: The changing landscape of Healthcare IT Management and governance. Over 200 hospitals in 14 European countries were surveyed.

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