GE HealthCare & OCSRI: Advancing Oncology Medical Imaging
When it comes to healthcare technology, successful partnerships between providers and medical institutions are crucial for advancing patient care. One such collaboration is the partnership between GE HealthCare and Oklahoma Cancer Specialists and Research Institute (OCSRI), which has focused on migrating OCSRI from its legacy Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) to a new, more advanced solution – demonstrating the potential of modernised medical imaging systems in oncology care.
The project, which involved a comprehensive overhaul of OCSRI's imaging infrastructure, has been successful thanks to the close collaboration between the two organisations. Dan Vanacore, a member of GE Healthcare's Project Management team, played a pivotal role in coordinating the effort. “We worked closely through the project,” he said, “keeping OCSRI informed of next steps, items needed, design, build, testing and – eventually – through to the go live.”
The project's success was not without its challenges, as is often the case with large-scale technology implementations. However, the strong partnership between GE HealthCare and OCSRI allowed for effective problem-solving. “Go live itself was very successful,” Dan adds. “We encountered issues that needed to be resolved, quite typical for any PACS conversion actually, but the OCSRI and GE teams worked together to resolve those and get past them.”
One of the key factors in the success of this partnership is GE HealthCare's commitment to customer support. Alyson Cavasso, Customer Success Manager at GE HealthCare, outlines the company's approach. “We work hand in hand through the customer lifecycle, through training, professional services, technical support, renewals, retention, expansion and – most importantly – customer advocacy.” This comprehensive support structure ensures that institutions like OCSRI receive ongoing assistance beyond the initial implementation phase.
Alyson also highlights the importance of regular communication in maintaining a healthy partnership. “We have biweekly and quarterly updates with OCSRI to keep the pulse on the site’s health, as well as their future progression,” she said. This consistent dialogue allows GE HealthCare to remain responsive to OCSRI’s evolving needs, allowing any issues to be addressed promptly.
The partnership between GE Healthcare and OCSRI is part of a broader strategy to advance medical imaging technology, particularly in the field of oncology. Thierry Verstraete, VP of Product Management for Enterprise Imaging Solutions at GE HealthCare, highlights the company’s approach.
“It's very important when we create new capabilities and solutions, that we retain backward compatibility so that customers can easily upgrade and take advantage of new capabilities,” he explains. This approach ensures that institutions like OCSRI can benefit from the latest advancements without disrupting their existing workflows.
Thierry also discussed the role of GE HealthCare's Enterprise Imaging Advisory Board in shaping the direction of product development. “We bring key opinion leaders and subject matters experts together, and ultimately they play a pivotal role in guiding our strategic direction, enhancing our product development, ensuring compliance and building trust,” he said.
In the context of oncology care pathways, Thierry adds that GE HealthCare's partnership with OCSRI takes on additional significance. “Our mission is to help our customers from early detection to diagnosis to treatment, and to follow up and to provide solutions that create a more personalised path through the complexities of oncology care and cancer care.”
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