GE Broadens Appeal Of Healthcare Application Service Provider Model With GE Centricity™ ASP
Secure, dedicated fiber optic network makes ASP attractive for radiology applications and image archiving in healthcare institutions of all sizes
CHICAGO - At this year’s Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2001 conference, GE Medical Systems Information Technologies announces a new robust application service provider (ASP) model for the healthcare industry.
The advanced offering, called GE Centricity™ ASP, provides ASP service on a secure, high-speed, dedicated network. GE delivers its GE Centricity ASP offerings by way of a broadband fiber-optic network connected directly to hospitals. By way of that network, hospitals can store medical images and data securely off-site and then retrieve them at nearly instantaneous speeds. To develop this solution, GE teamed with Qwest Communications International Inc. in a five-year agreement announced Aug. 30.
Among the first to adopt the robust ASP offering is Rush-Copley Medical Center, Aurora, Ill., which plans to deploy GE Centricity ASP in its 142-bed hospital.
"Now at Rush-Copley, we’re able to provide radiologists with the same level of sophisticated healthcare applications as those in any large technologically-advanced hospital in the world," said Pavitar Singh, M.D., a radiologist with Rush-Copley. "GE Centricity ASP really levels the playing field, because now we have an easy-to-implement off site solution that is both affordable and consistently supported 24X7, so our application will never become obsolete."
GE Centricity ASP enables institutions to use sophisticated healthcare applications without the substantial up-front cost of installing them on site. The GE service includes around-the-clock support as well as continuous upgrades to the latest technology, so that the application never becomes obsolete.
The ASP model is easy to implement and easy for physicians and technologists to use. GE manages all backend information technology infrastructure and monitors and supports the technology around the clock to protect uptime and reliability. The ASP solution uses state of the art EMC storage technologies, providing a fast, reliable and scaleable storage infrastructure.
The dedicated broadband fiber optic communication network is central to the appeal of the GE Centricity ASP offering, according to Vishal Wanchoo, Vice President and General Manager of Radiology Systems for GE Medical Systems Information Technologies.
Wanchoo noted that GE introduced its ASP model nearly two years ago and already serves more than 50 sites in the United States, primarily small hospitals, women's health centers and imaging centers. Now, the GE Centricity ASP model significantly reduces the cost of the bandwidth that major institutions need to transmit large volumes of images.
"We have an offering that is financially attractive to institutions of almost any size," said Wanchoo. "More hospitals now can enjoy the huge advantages of having medical applications and images housed off-site."
The GE Centricity ASP model also can improve care by making it easier for physicians to collaborate on patients' behalf, Wanchoo noted. High-speed fiber optic connectivity transfers records much faster and at far lower cost than for sending paper- and film-based records.
"Using a fiber optic infrastructure with the GE Centricity ASP model, caregivers can transfer data in real-time between sites in a large hospital network," said Wanchoo. "A radiology department can seamlessly move a patient’s images, for example, from a New York hospital to a specialist in Los Angeles in less than five seconds. This fundamentally changes the way radiology and other services are delivered."
The GE Centricity ASP model is part of a strong move toward digital workflow in radiology and in healthcare generally, noted Greg Lucier, president and CEO of GE Medical Systems Information Technologies.
"Healthcare systems are rapidly implementing new digital applications for data-intensive clinical areas like radiology to improve clinical and operational performance," said Lucier. "With modern diagnostic imaging scanners now able to produce up to 1,000 images per exam, digital capture, review and storage is essential. This trend, along with impending patient privacy regulations surrounding medical data, creates a growing need for the GE Centricity ASP solution."
GE now offers ASP models for its new PACS/RIS integration, DICOM image archiving, Web-based image distribution service, and the GE Catalyst MUSE cardiology information system. The company plans to expand its ASP offerings to every clinical department in a hospital by 2003.
"In the relatively near future, we will offer a full suite of capabilities that healthcare providers can deploy without having the equipment on their site," said Wanchoo. "It is truly a revolution in the delivery of healthcare."
About GE Medical Systems Information Technologies
GE Medical Systems Information Technologies provides healthcare systems with advanced software and technologies to improve their clinical performance. The company’s expertise spans the areas of cardiology, patient monitoring, image management, clinical communications, clinical information systems and Six Sigma-based management tools to enable a real-time, integrated electronic medical record. GE Medical Systems Information Technologies is a business of GE Medical Systems, an $8 billion global leader in medical imaging and technology. Additional information about GE Medical Systems can be found at gemedical.com.
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