Agfa and ProHealth Care, Wisconsin, U.S. announce strategic alliance in cardiology

RSNA Chicago / IL, 28 November, 2004

Agfa and ProHealth Care (PHC), the second-largest provider of interventional cardiology services in Wisconsin, U.S., announced the formation of a long-term strategic alliance that will facilitate the development of cardiology image and information management systems.

PHC will become the first U.S. field-trial site for the next generation of Agfa's digital information management solution for cardiology for the echocardiography and cath lab environment. In addition, the hospitals' physicians and staff will become key sounding boards for Agfa's future cardiology strategy and technology planning activities.

Cardiologists at Waukesha Memorial Hospital (WMH) and Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital (OMH), two hospitals in the PHC network, will have access to Agfa's all-digital IMPAXTM for Cardiology Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) solution. IMPAX for Cardiology allows physicians to utilize on-demand, multiple modality access to images, data, analysis and reports from any workstation at any PHC facility or over the web.

The Heart Center at WMH and OMH is the state's second busiest provider of interventional and invasive cardiology services in Wisconsin, last year performing more than 6,300 cardiac catheterization procedures, 1100 of which were angioplasties. Waukesha Memorial Hospital was ranked the number one cardiac treatment and surgery program in the metro-Milwaukee area by HealthGrades, the leading healthcare quality company in the U.S. OMH is one of only 5% of hospitals its size in the nation offering angioplasty on-site.

"This relationship with Agfa means we will never stop offering state-of-the-art imaging services to our patients," said Cardiologist William Burns, MD, Chief of the division of Cardiology for Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital. "We will always have access to the latest technology available, developed with our input." Extending the relationship with Agfa will also allow PHC to leverage its existing investments in PACS infrastructure, training and support.

ProHealth Care is a locally-based health network situated midway between Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. The network also includes 13 primary care clinics, home health and hospice services, long-term care, a health and fitness center, and more. In addition to cardiology, specialized tertiary services include advanced cancer care and the most active obstetrical/neonatal intensive care program in the county. The largest employer in the region, ProHealth Care has more than 700 physicians on staff.

A proven performer, IMPAX for Cardiology is a comprehensive digital information management solution, meeting the needs of today's busy cardiology departments. Leveraging the technology of Agfa's IMPAX PACS solution, established in over 700 installations worldwide, this cardiology product suite offers a powerful solution allowing for full infrastructure integration across departments. It provides a comprehensive clinical workflow solution from exam scheduling through diagnosis and reporting, significantly enhancing the productivity of cardiologists and their teams, improving quality and efficiency in patient care.

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About Agfa

The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world's leading imaging companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems, intended mainly for the graphics industry and the healthcare markets. Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is active in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries throughout the world. Together they achieved a turnover of 4,215 million euros in 2003.

Product and company information can be found on Agfa's home page on the World Wide Web at: www.agfa.com.

Agfa, the Agfa rhombus, IMPAX and See More. Do More. are trademarks of Agfa-Gevaert N.V., Belgium or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Contacts:

Geertrui De Smet

Global PR Manager HealthCare

tel.: +32 (0) 3 444 73 06

fax: +32 (0) 3 444 72 85

e-mail: geertruidesmet@agfapress.com

Jeff Lewis

Media Relations Manager HealthCare, North America

tel.: 201-440-2500 x4192

e-mail: jeff.lewis@agfa.com

Johan Jacobs

Corporate Press Relations Manager

tel.: +32 (0)3 444 80 15

fax: +32 (0)3 444 74 85

e-mail: johan.jacobs@agfa.com