Managing the Flow in Radiology

eHealth Global and MedLink Team Up on Patient’s Records
Médical Tronik Is Exclusive Supplier for Carestream in Quebec

eHealth Global and MedLink Team Up on Patient’s Records

by Marianne Matthews

Some might call it reciprocity in business. But for patients and physicians, the new strategic alliance between eHealth Global Technologies Inc, an industry-leading provider of patient medical records management services, and MedLink International Inc, an ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) and related solutions vendor, it’s much more than that. The two companies just announced that each would promote the other’s portfolio of services to their own existing and future customer bases.

What may sound like a simple business deal is, in fact, a big deal for clinicians and health care consumers. “Our partnership with eHealth Global is a major step by our organizations to affect the portability of health records, as the standardization and portability of medical records become more of a priority of health care legislation,” said Ray Vuono, CEO and president of MedLink International Inc. “Together, we are demonstrating how organizations can work together and bring solutions that empower physicians to make better decisions abut the health of their patients and enable patients more easily to switch doctors, hospitals, or health plans, intensifying the competition to provide good quality care.”

The two industry leaders offer complementary but distinct services and solutions, so the new alliance seems like a natural fit. eHealth Global’s portfolio of services is centered on the collection, digitization, and access to medical records and images on behalf of tertiary care facilities and specialty clinics with large referral volumes such as transplant, oncology, and cardiology.

MedLink’s market niche is slightly different. “MedLink has an extremely strong portfolio of solutions for ambulatory practices, multispecialty clinics, and community hospitals. We hope to make it easier for MedLink’s clients and their patients to take advantage of this technology,

by helping them deal with legacy medical records and link to scattered outside medical records that may be paper, film, or any number of digital formats,” explained Ken Rosenfeld, president of eHealth Global. “Now, with the help of eHealth Global, a health care provider will be able to extract even more value out of their MedLink EHR solution.”

Streamlining access to patient records at the point of care is vital in today’s competitive health care climate. With more employers offering consumer-directed heath care plans—and drugstore clinics offering lower cost visits with physicians—today’s health care consumers are more discriminating than ever before. The strategic partnership between eHealth Global and MedLink seems particularly appropriate in an era when choice is the new watchword in health care.

Médical Tronik Is Exclusive Supplier for Carestream in Quebec

by M. Matthews

Bob Hamilton, general manager of Carestream Health Canada Company (left), and Gino Bérubé, president of Médical Tronik (right), sign exclusive supplier agreement for Carestream Health’s digital medical imaging and IT solutions.

On the international front, Carestream Health Inc recently announced that Médical Tronik Montreal Ltd (MTM) is now the exclusive supplier for the company’s digital medical imaging and information technology (IT) solutions in the province of Quebec, Canada.

The deal promises to position Médical Tronik, which has marketed selected Carestream Health products in the past, with an even stronger foothold in the Quebec market. Under the new agreement, Médical Tronik will sell, service, and support Carestream Health’s full portfolio of digital medical imaging and IT solutions. This portfolio includes computed radiography and digital radiography systems to capture digital x-ray images; a radiology information system (RIS) for management of patient information, including x-ray exams and radiology reports; PACS; laser imaging systems for output of digital medical images onto radiographic film; and information management solutions that provide on-site or remotely hosted solutions for the storage and management of images and information.

Management from both companies expressed optimism about the new alliance. “Our sales and service teams are eager to offer the benefits of Carestream Health’s comprehensive portfolio to our customers,” said Gino Bérubé, president, Médical Tronik. “The exclusive nature of this agreement indicates our confidence in the exceptional value the joining of our two companies presents to Quebec health care providers.”

Senior executives at Carestream concurred. “Médical Tronik has forged strong relationships with health care facilities in Quebec through its professional sales team and its high-quality, responsive service,” said Steven Ramirez, general manager of healthcare information solutions for the Americas, Carestream Health. “We believe Médical Tronik’s understanding of the specific needs of the province’s health care providers will add value to our fully featured digital imaging and information management platforms.”

“Combining Médical Tronik’s knowledgeable and experienced sales and support staff with our world-class medical imaging and information platforms delivers an extremely attractive offering to health care providers throughout Quebec,” said Bob Hamilton, general manager, Carestream Health Canada Company. “We believe our exclusive agreement will benefit local health care facilities as well as both of our companies.”

NovaRIS also contains specialized worklists and reports for stalled and cancelled procedures.