MILAN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GE Healthcare’s latest
commitment to improving patient care and the global healthcare delivery system
was announced today in Milan,
Italy as the
Lombardia Ministry of Health (MoH) purchased 135 units of GE Healthcare’s
pocket-sized, ultrasound medical imaging device Vscan for use by general
practitioners in the region. This effort by GE Healthcare and the Lombardia MoH
is not only the first of its kind for Italy,
but also unique to Europe.
European healthcare systems are among the best in the world,
but recent economic pressures are making it more important than ever to find
new ways to increase cost-effectiveness within the system. To this end, Italy is
uniquely leading a healthcare change in the Lombardia region where over the
next couple months general practitioners will incorporate Vscan in the physical
examinations of patients with the intention of improving the overall healthcare
provided to those living in the area. With the assistance, training and support
of local Internal Medicine Ultrasound Specialists, the general practitioners
will integrate Vscan into their daily efforts and will document the
improvements the device is having on the local healthcare system across a
variety of clinical areas.
Vscan is a pocket-sized, portable visualization tool
developed to provide physicians with imaging capabilities at the point-of-care
in many clinical, hospital or primary care settings. Roughly the size of a
smart phone, Vscan houses powerful, ultra-smart ultrasound technology that
provides clinicians with an immediate, non-invasive quick look inside the body.
The ability to take a quick look inside the body may not only help clinicians
detect disease earlier but also better triage patients to avoid sometimes
unnecessary and costly testing. By using Vscan, the doctors are attempting to
evaluate the clinical advantages of the technology while simultaneously
documenting what impact the ultrasound device is having in improving the
region’s healthcare system.
“Because of the potential clinical value Vscan may provide
to medical professionals around Europe and all over the world, we hope this
project will be of high interest to other physicians and healthcare officials
in Ministries of Health across the European Union,” said Mario Lois, General
Manager of Primary Care for GE Healthcare in Europe.
The number of Vscan users in Europe continues
to grow each month due to a specific mindset, strong acceptance and adoption
throughout multiple medical care areas.”
Since being launched in countries across Europe in 2010,
thousands of medical providers have adopted Vscan across various countries,
including numerous internationally recognized cardiologists such as Professors
Jose Zamorano and Nuno Cardim, whose clinical study with Vscan concluded that
the technology helped well-trained echocardiographers increase the number of
diagnoses, reduce the number of unnecessary conventional echocardiography exams
and also reduce the number of patients spending time in outpatient clinics. The
impact thus helped improve the quality of care of patients and helped lower the
cost of care for not only the patient but also the provider.
Other Vscan users across Europe have experienced similar
benefits including Professor Petros Nihoyannopoulos, Professor of Cardiology at
the Imperial College London, Hammersmith
Hospital in the UK.
“The advantage for the department is tremendous as well.
Using Vscan helps us triage the patients better, reduce the number of unnecessary
echocardiographic examinations and saves the patients time, said Prof.
Nihoyannopoulos.”
Like the positive impact using Vscan has had for Prof.
Nihoyannopoulos, Drs. Cardim and Zamarano on their patients, the goal in Italy is to do
the same while also demonstrating the positive impact of collaborations between
the Ministry of Health and regional healthcare providers.
“We expect the Vscan units to have tremendous impact on the
healthcare provided to the people of the Lombardia region,” said Dr. Carlo
Lucchina, General Director of Lombardia Ministry of Health. “Vscan has shown
potential to help physicians obtain more information, and promptly send the
right patient to the right test. Considering this, we are hoping
to improve the efficiency of our healthcare system in Lombardia but also
validate this new approach and promote to all the other Italian regions and
outside in Europe.”
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 reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality 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.
