SHERIDAN, WYOMING – November 09, 2024 – AGFA HealthCare, a leading provider of enterprise imaging solutions, today announced the successful implementation of its XERO® Exchange Network (XEN) across five NHS Trusts in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, UK. This deployment marks a significant milestone in regional healthcare collaboration, enabling seamless image sharing between hospitals, regardless of their existing Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) or Radiology Information System (RIS).
The XERO® Exchange Network (XEN) is a groundbreaking solution that facilitates real-time federation across different healthcare organizations. By connecting disparate systems, XEN empowers clinicians with instant access to a patient's complete imaging history, breaking down traditional barriers and streamlining workflows.
"With images and reports available from all of the region's NHS hospitals, XEN offers a step towards a true longitudinal patient imaging record, enabling us to begin creating a timeline view of all images, and providing the region with a stable, consistent and productive solution without any complications," says Dr Sanjoy Nagaraja, Consultant Interventional Neuroradiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Prior to this implementation, image sharing between hospitals often relied on cumbersome methods such as CDs or complex electronic exchange systems. XEN eliminates these complexities, allowing clinicians to access images from across the region directly through their familiar XERO Universal Viewer.
"AGFA HealthCare's XEN solution enables us to gain the benefits of sharing images with our colleagues at other hospitals in our region, without CDs or complex image sharing solutions. We can just use our XERO Universal Viewer, and it finds and displays the images we are looking for – effortlessly," adds Dr Nagaraja.
The impact of XEN extends beyond improved clinician workflows. By streamlining access to critical imaging data, XEN has the potential to accelerate diagnosis, enhance treatment planning, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
"We are delighted that we have delivered a strong added value to our long-term customers in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, with XEN for image sharing, and furthermore that we have been able to bring Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS into sync with the rest of the region," says Mark Wild, UK Strategic Account Director, AGFA HealthCare.
This sentiment is echoed by healthcare professionals across the region, who recognize the transformative potential of XEN. The ability to seamlessly share images between hospitals, regardless of their underlying technology infrastructure, is a significant step forward in healthcare interoperability.
"Different imaging systems, patient IDs, physical networks or policies for requesting information can create complexity when sharing images across a network. What's more, the time and effort of requesting and then transmitting image data slows down already-busy workflows, which can impact the timeliness of patient care and reduce patient satisfaction," explains Wild.
XEN addresses these challenges by creating a federated image network that transcends traditional boundaries. It allows each facility to maintain its own image management systems and patient ID domain while enabling seamless access to images across the network.
"Finally, when patients travel to different facilities for care, their images are spread out everywhere. XEN enables a federated image network, without traditional image sharing solutions or even a VNA. Image and data access is faster, and the workflow is smoother. And – importantly – the entire image sharing process is 'invisible': to care providers and patients," Wild concludes.
The successful implementation of XEN in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw is a testament to AGFA HealthCare's commitment to innovation and collaboration in healthcare. By empowering clinicians with seamless access to critical imaging data, XEN is helping to pave the way for a more connected and efficient healthcare ecosystem.