Two Major Swedish University Hospitals Change PACS Supplier: Sectra Secures Extensive IT Contract

Regulatory News:

Sectra (STO:SECTB) has signed a five-year contract with Region Skåne regarding a digital solution for managing and archiving radiology images (PACS). With this order, Sectra will replace existing systems at the university hospitals in Malmö and Lund. The initial order value amounts to SEK 30 million.

"With this new, common digital solution for managing radiology images, we are taking an important step towards more efficient cooperation and use of resources within the radiology operations in our region,” says Hans Stridbeck, Regional Chief Medical Officer. The agreement includes an option to connect the other radiology departments as well as nuclear medicine and cardiology imaging units in the region to the central backbone solution that Sectra is establishing with Region Skåne.

”Region Skåne’s procurement is the largest in Sweden this year for IT systems for radiology departments. The need for systems that facilitate cooperation and communication is substantial and the holistic approach taken by Region Skåne for the IT structure of radiology operations is a model for other care providers,” says Marie Ekström, President of Sectra’s medical operations in Scandinavia.

Region Skåne, a regional public body responsible for health, medical and dental services, includes ten hospitals that conduct more than 900,000 radiology examinations annually. All the hospitals in the region are already operating with Sectra’s system for managing radiology information (RIS). Region Skåne also recently ordered an IT solution, Master Examination Index, from Sectra that enhances the efficiency of radiology cooperation within and outside the region.

Digital management of X-ray images provides several advantages and contributes to more effective and qualitative health care. The use of Sectra’s solution will increase the availability of images and patient information. As a result, it is expected that the productivity and effectiveness of the region’s radiologists will increase substantially.

About Sectra’s medical operations

Sectra develops and sells IT-systems and products for radiology, mammography and orthopedic departments. More than 950 hospitals worldwide use the system daily, together performing over 45 million radiology examinations annually. This makes Sectra one of the world leading companies within systems for handling digital radiology images (PACS). In Scandinavia, Sectra is the market leader with more than 50% of all film-free installations. Outside Scandinavia, Sectra’s system is installed at customers in North America and most major countries in Europe and the Far East.

About the Sectra Group

Sectra successfully develops and sells cutting-edge products in the expansive niche segments of medical systems and secure communication systems. The company was founded in 1978 and has its roots in the Linköping Institute of Technology in Sweden. Today, Sectra has offices in eleven countries and operates through partners worldwide. Sales in the 2007/2008 fiscal year totaled SEK 743 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. For more information about Sectra visit http://www.sectra.com.

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