ROCHESTER, N.Y., November 8 -- Queensway Carleton Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, has installed a picture archiving and communications system (PACS), computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) systems from Eastman Kodak Company's Health Group.

These new systems will create an efficient digital workflow with digital image capture of general radiology exams as well as electronic viewing, storage and distribution of patient medical exams from all diagnostic imaging modalities within the hospital.

The KODAK CARESTREAM PACS is integrated with the hospital's MEDITECH hospital information system (HIS), radiology information system (RIS) and patient care inquiry system (PCI). This integration at the desktop enables seamless access to patient information, radiology reports and images from the same workstation. Kodak is also integrating POWER SCRIBE speech recognition software onto the radiologists' desktop.
"We selected Kodak for this large-scale technology project because they demonstrated they could supply industry-leading technology and handle the integrations that were necessary to achieve maximum efficiency from our new digital workflow," said Eric Hanna, vice president of corporate services, Queensway Carleton Hospital.

Prior to the installation of PACS, Kodak performed network assessment and redesign services and worked with the hospital's IT staff to upgrade the network. The hospital also installed KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR 850/CR 950 Systems and a KODAK DIRECTVIEW DR 9000 System for the capture of general radiography images. In addition, the hospital implemented KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR Long-Length Imaging Software for digital capture of long-length orthopaedic exams on its KODAK CR systems. The software delivers images up to 17 x 51 inches (43 x 129 cm).

"All of Kodak's systems are intuitive and easy to use, which allowed our staff to quickly become comfortable with the new equipment. Kodak's shared user interface for its CR and DR platforms further reduced the need for training," said David Price, the hospital's director of diagnostic imaging.

Price added that the systems' ease of use lead to immediate user satisfaction. "After just a few weeks of working with the new systems, our emergency and surgical physicians and other users appreciate the speed and convenience of a digital environment. They say they don't know how they lived without it," Price said.

"Thanks to the great efforts of the PACS administrator, clerical support team, technologists and radiologists, the new efficiency of the Diagnostic Imaging department's digital workflow reduces waiting times for patients during the exam and improves staff productivity. This streamlined process also provides faster, electronic distribution of imaging studies and Diagnostic Imaging reports to physicians," he said.

About Queensway Carleton Hospital
Queensway Carleton Hospital, West Ottawa's only full-service community hospital, offers diverse medical and surgical programs and services. With 250 beds and employing more than 1,300 healthcare professionals, the hospital serves a population of more than 400,000 in one of the fastest growing areas in Canada. To meet this need, the hospital is currently undergoing its first major expansion since it opened in 1976, expanding its capacity and more than doubling the size of the facility.

For more information about Kodak (NYSE:EK) contact your Kodak representative or www.kodak.com.

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