GE Healthcare
PRESS RELEASE
GE Healthcare’s Universal Viewer Enhances Centricity PACS, Centricity PACSIW and Centricity Clinical Archive
Intuitive Workspace Brings Together Advanced 3D, Oncology, & Breast Imaging to Boost Efficiency
CHICAGO –NOVEMBER 26, 2012 – With this week’s introduction of Universal Viewer, GE Healthcare aims to put clinical insight
within reach to help radiologists and referring physicians deliver patient results efficiently. Universal Viewer brings together
advanced visualization, intelligent productivity tools, and multimodality workflow for oncology and breast imaging all within
one intuitive workspace that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. It works with Centricity* PACS, Centricity PACS-IW, and
Centricity Clinical Archive.
A recent GE-sponsored study conducted by ACR Image Metrix, a subsidiary of the American College of Radiology, showed up to
2.5 hours in a radiologist’s day wasted because of workflow inefficiency. As healthcare rapidly evolves to a more patient-centric,
collaborative, and outcomes-focused model, customers need to integrate information across different systems to help make
patient diagnosis and treatment more efficient. Rather than creating complexity with multiple logins, tools that behave
differently, and separate workstations, Universal Viewer has the potential to provide 5% productivity improvement. It has a
unified user interface with a single look and feel that is easy to learn and able to adapt to radiologists’ preferences, automating
exam setup. Referring physicians can access the viewer from anywhere and patients can get from the exam to their results in
less time.
Centricity PACS and Centricity PACS-IW users will find a new dimension of clinical intelligence as they explore Universal Viewer.
It enables seamless workflow with pre- and post-processing. Advanced clinical applications, powered by AW, are embedded to
enable oncology quantification, auto bone removal, vessel analysis, and registration. In an industry “first,” Universal Viewer also
includes integrated mammography tools for screening and diagnostics, with the ability to display images across a breadth of
modalities, support CAD markers and IHE profiles, and connect with reporting systems.
“This is really fantastic,’” said Dr. James Whitfill, Chief Medical Informatics Officer of Southwest Diagnostic Imaging in Scottsdale,
Ariz. “When we bring all of this together and provide what I think we’re all asking for, it’s really going to be an exciting step
forward.”
For radiologists who want a next generation viewer that requires less manual setup to read exams, Universal Viewer has the
potential to reduce mouse clicks by 70%1. It has a “smart reading protocols” feature developed in GE’s Global Research Center
that essentially digitizes radiologists’ sequencing preferences on the fly as though it were hanging physical film across a lightbox.
It introduces case-based reasoning techniques, including machine learning algorithms, image analytics, and text mining for
automating exam setup.
“Adopting new applications means change for providers, but minimizing change by keeping workflows consistent can help to
reduce the impact and lost productivity associated with the change. Machine learning features are a great way to digitize
workflows without long, costly implementation projects and extensive application customization,” said Judy Hanover of IDC, a
leading analyst firm, “Radiologists will appreciate being able to work in a digital environment without having to abandon their
familiar customs.”
A zero footprint (ZFP) exam viewer intended to deliver non-diagnostic, review only capabilities provides clinicians with easy,
enterprise-wide access to images and reports through connectivity with an EMR or GE Healthcare’s Centricity Clinical Archive.
1
GE Healthcare Software Center of Excellence study
GE Healthcare
The ZFP has the added advantages of a zero installation with no download of any software to the user’s device. It also does not
require administrative rights required to access.
Jan De Witte, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare IT and Performance Solutions said, “This is an enormous
step on a path to our future, a future of intensifying imaging investment and innovation. Customers have told us that systems
have become too complex and interoperability needs improvement. This takes away time they could be reading exams and
delivering patient results. We invite radiologists everywhere to join us and view our proposed solution, Universal Viewer. We
invite them to tell us what they think and, most of all, to stand by to see the future of imaging IT delivered to their desktops.”
*Centricity is a registered trademark of General Electric Company.
GE Healthcare at RSNA 2012
Each year in Chicago, the conference of the Radiological Association of North America (RSNA) provides a forum for showcasing
the latest innovations in medical imaging. If you are attending the conference, please visit GE Healthcare at booth number 5433
in McCormick Place south hall. Throughout the week of the event, GE Healthcare will distribute news and information using
these digital platforms:
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Digital press kit: newsroom.gehealthcare.com/press-kits/ge-healthcare-at-rsna-2012
Twitter: @GEHealthcare and hashtag #GEWorks
YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/gehealthcare
Flickr: www.flickr.com/people/gehealthcare
Instagram: instagram.com/generalelectric
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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 increasing access and improving quality and affordability around the world. Headquartered in the
United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are
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. For our latest news, please visit http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com.
Media Contact
GE Healthcare
Corey Miller
414.469.5499
corey.miller@ge.com