Kodak announces new push into healthcare IT

Eastman Kodak this week announced plans for a concerted push into the fast-growing market for healthcare information technology with the introduction of a new portfolio of software and systems. The new approach was announced at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) conference in Dallas this week.

Kodak’s health imaging business serving the health care market will be renamed as Kodak Health Group, to reflect the move to offering a full range of digital systems, technology and services to capture, share and manage medical images and related information.

The new Kodak Health Group will develop and market digital equipment and healthcare IT systems for use throughout hospitals and other healthcare organisations. Kodak estimates the health IT market as valued at $60 billion (£32bn), and growing at 10 percent per annum.

This range of products will build on Kodak’s existing digital imaging, information, communications and services in areas such as radiology. This will include a new portfolio known as Kodak Carestream solutions, which will enable clinicians and administrative staff to collect and share patient information – including medical images – to improve patient care.

The new product line-up will include a new suite of RIS (radiology information systems)/PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) digital imaging and information systems to meet the needs of hospitals, imaging centers, orthopaedic practices and other healthcare facilities.

Kodak says that its Carestream solutions will provide an efficient method for managing information and images—captured by a variety of systems—to create image-enabled electronic medical records.

As part of the new push into healthcare IT Kodak has formed a series of technology agreements with firms including Cisco Systems and IBM. The agreement with Cisco Systems, will see Kodak become the first medical device company to bundle Cisco Security Agents, technology that can intercept and block malicious software, improving the performance of medical imaging systems.

The collaboration with IBM will see the two companies develop a specialised, cost-effective RIS for imaging centres and smaller healthcare facilities. The aim is offer software and hardware combinations that are more affordable, less complex and easier to implement.