Photo credit: Intelerad Medical Systems
September 15, 2022 – Intelerad Medical Systems, a leading global provider of enterprise imaging solutions, announced its acquisition of Life Image, one of the largest image exchange networks of curated clinical and imaging data. The acquisition combines the two leading image exchange providers to create what the company reports would be the largest medical image exchange network in the world. Further, it lays the groundwork for the elimination of costly CDs as the primary means of image transfer, according to a September 15 statement released by Intelerad. This closely follows Intelerad’s recent deal with PenRad Technologies, Inc., and acquisition of cloud imaging leader Ambra Health last year.
“As a company, Intelerad has been unwavering in backing the challenge put forth by the American College of Radiology (ACR), RSNA and SIIM to #ditchthedisk. Today’s transaction reflects one of the most important steps we could imagine in reaching that vision,” said Mike Lipps, Intelerad CEO. He added, “Bringing together two of the industry’s leading image exchange providers further solidifies Intelerad’s commitment to helping clinicians and patients lead the revolution in imaging from a world of siloed PACS to a future of interoperable image exchange.”
Medical record interoperability has been a key component of the 21st Century Cures Act and its focus on eliminating all forms of information blocking, the company noted. Radiology leaders and industry stakeholders have been champions for establishing a framework for seamless electronic imaging transfer in an effort to improve patient care and eliminate the burden on caregivers. By combining two of the largest image sharing networks and ensuring open access between networks, the statement noted, Intelerad takes a critical step in advancing access to digital health information.
“As an advocate for radiology’s critical role in health equity, I am so encouraged by the announcement of this expanded network and its commitment to interoperability,” said Dr. Geraldine McGinty, past President of the ACR, in the statement, adding, “Patients and physicians alike need an easy way to share images, and this is an important first step toward enabling vendors to work together as they should.”
Leading healthcare systems have been pushing for seamless interoperability. “At our recent Enterprise Imaging Summit, interoperability of imaging data was a top concern expressed by many healthcare systems,” said Adam Gale, CEO of KLAS Research, the leading healthcare research firm. “As healthcare continues to evolve, the dedication to interoperability becomes critical to advancing the industry. While the future is unknown, we are hopeful this move to enhance the sharing of images will benefit all patients,” added Gale.
With this transaction, Intelerad and Life Image serve many of the largest medical institutions in the world, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and New York Presbyterian Hospital. The combined network manages over 80 billion images globally, enabling 24/7 digital image sharing from any device wherever the provider or patient may be.
“Together we have both worked to advance patient care and are excited to have the opportunity to bring these two leading networks together to advance interoperability,” said Morris Panner, President of Intelerad and former CEO of Ambra Health, which was acquired by Intelerad in October, 2021. He added, “As independent companies we competed, but also pioneered some of the most important cross-vendor exchanges in the industry. By combining, we are able to advance our vision and technology more rapidly and achieve our joint vision of a true nation-wide, electronic image exchange network. We are just getting started.”
For more information: https://www.intelerad.com/en/
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