Agfa installs military teleradiology network

Agfa installs military teleradiology network

Agfa has completed installation of a teleradiology network that links three military bases in Georgia and South Carolina. The network is part of the Tricare Initiative, a pilot project implemented by the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marines in 1996 designed to evaluate the efficacy and advantages of teleradiology by sharing resources between Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, GA; Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC; and Albany Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, GA. The network went online in early June following Agfa’s installation of an ADC Compact Review Station at Eisenhower and a film digitizer and a workstation at both Shaw and Albany.

Using the network, a technician at Shaw or Albany exposes conventional x-ray film, scans and digitizes the images, then sends them to a radiologist at Eisenhower for review. Using speech recognition equipment, the radiologist dictates a report directly into the workstation and onto the video display of the image. The report can then be transmitted back to the clinic, to the referring physician. Project goals include assessing the impact of the teleradiology network on cost savings and other efficiencies, including quality control, recordkeeping, reduced travel costs, and better access to specialty care.

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