Addressing radiology workload challenges: Sectra and GE HealthCare plan to leverage deep integration to help enhance clinical efficiency

LINKÖPING, Sweden, Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) and GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) are working towards seamless integration of Sectra's enterprise imaging diagnostic application for radiology and GE HealthCare's AW Family Advanced Visualization applications¹. Together, the two companies aim to enable smooth workflows and seamless access to next-generation, advanced visualization applications. 

The integration will span from orchestration and diagnostics to report generation and result distribution. This to support clinicians with the precision care solutions needed at every step in the care pathway. The integration will be made possible with Sectra's open API and GE HealthCare's open ecosystem.

With cardiology being one of the most demanding clinical workflow environments, this integration would begin with a focus on the cardiology care pathway and GE HealthCare's CardIQ Suite, a workflow which leverages Deep Learning to automatically identify the presence and location of coronary artery calcifications and provide a total and per territory score within seconds of loading. When combined with Sectra's diagnostic application, clinicians could enhance CardIQ Suite's efficiency, potentially enabling faster workflows, additional time savings, increased productivity, and a reduced workload.  

"We designed our AW Advanced Visualization family to be an open ecosystem and enable technology integrations — this one with Sectra is a great example," explains Jan Makela, President & CEO, Imaging, GE HealthCare. "This potential integration aims to increase accessibility and functionality — not only to help clinicians save time and increase productivity, but also streamlining the cardiology care pathway by easing the transition between applications — or even workstations — and reducing total number of clicks." 

As the field of radiology continues to evolve with increased sub-specialization, the demand for advanced diagnostic tools has grown exponentially. Current data shows that higher workloads have caused burnout rates among radiologists to rise. To address this challenge, healthcare systems are looking for streamlined diagnostics and seamlessly integrated essential tools into their workflow. 

Leveraging Sectra's integration capabilities and GE HealthCare's commitment to open integration, radiologists could access the necessary tools within a single application, potentially reducing the steps and pressures they regularly face.

"As radiology becomes increasingly specialized, the demand on radiologists intensifies and many more are experiencing burnout," says Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO of Sectra. "Combating these challenges and addressing the shortage in radiology is our top priority as a diagnostic software company, simplifying daily tasks and ensuring instant access to crucial tools."

Sectra's enterprise imaging diagnostic application for radiology is part of its enterprise imaging software subscription. It enables a unified strategy for all imaging needs while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution allows healthcare providers to grow from ology to ology and from enterprise to enterprise.

CardIQ, part of the AW Family application portfolio, is an integrated suite of CT cardiac post-processing tools built for automation and workflow efficiency. The AI-enabled application is intended to help with consistency, accurate labeling, and correct identification of the presence of coronary artery classifications.

For more information on this integration, visit the booths of Sectra (#8113) and GE HealthCare (#7326) at the Radiological Society of North America 2023 Annual Meeting.

About Sectra
Sectra contributes to a healthier and safer society by assisting health systems throughout the world to enhance the efficiency of care, and authorities and defense forces in Europe to protect society's most sensitive information. The company, founded in 1978, is headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, with direct sales in 19 countries, and distribution partners worldwide. Sales in the 2022/2023 fiscal year totaled SEK 2,351 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. For more information, visit Sectra's website.

About GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.
GE HealthCare is a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 100 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient's journey across the care pathway. Together its Imaging, Ultrasound, Patient Care Solutions, and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics businesses help improve patient care from diagnosis, to therapy, to monitoring. GE Healthcare is an $18.3 billion business with 50,000 employees working to create a world where healthcare has no limits.

¹Integrated technology in development that represents ongoing research and development efforts. Not for sale. Not commercially available.

For further information, please contact: Dr. Torbjörn Kronander, CEO and President Sectra  AB, 46 (0) 705 23 52 27
Marie Ekström Trägårdh, Executive Vice President Sectra AB and President Sectra Imaging IT Solutions, 46 (0)708 23 56 10

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