GE and Qwest join forces

Two powerhouses in the IT healthcare industry, GE Medical Systems Information Technologies and Qwest Communications International, have struck an exclusive, multiyear technology agreement to provide clinicians at healthcare systems with secure, reliable access to clinical information. GE and Qwest will offer a robust application service provider model that enables hospitals across the country to electronically store and retrieve medical images from remote sites. GE will offer ASP services to hospitals and healthcare systems; Qwest will store and manage the medical data. The companies estimate that the service will generate more than $250 million in top-line revenue. GE introduced its ASP last year using traditional long distance telephone networks. The company has since contracted to provide radiology and cardiology ASP services to more than 50 healthcare sites in the U.S.