HealthManagement, Volume 20 - Issue 3, 2020

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The XERO Exchange Network, a new image sharing technology from Agfa HealthCare’s Enterprise Imaging solution has been launched by the Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative, a collaboration of hospital trusts that collectively covers a population of over three million patients.



A new image sharing system has just been launched and is now available in seven trusts across Yorkshire and the Humber to manage high demand on the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. The system is called the ‘XERO Exchange Network’ and is part of Agfa HealthCare’s Enterprise Imaging solution that allows hospitals to instantly view images and reports that were acquired at another connected site.

Some of the key benefits of the XERO Exchange Network include:

  • Fast, secure and reliable transfer between hospitals without the need for CDs or DVDs
  • Easy for staff to use
  • Quicker diagnosis for patients

The Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative (YIC) is the official name for the trusts working together to improve radiology services. The new system will facilitate ease of access and quicker diagnosis across the seven NHS hospital trusts as well as at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber.

Adrian Watts, Imaging Informatics Programme Manager for Agfa HealthCare, said, “One of our fundamental goals working with the YIC has always been to make all images and reports available to authorised users across the collaborative.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for radiology services. With the launch of this new system, patients will also benefit as, in some cases, it will help reduce the number of scans they need, lower the radiation they receive and the number of visits they need to make to the hospital.

YIC is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT) and includes the following trusts:

  • Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
  • Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
  • Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

The NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber are also live with the new software, and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is expected to be connected soon.

Clinical Lead for YIC, Dr Daniel Fascia said, “This new technology will transform the way hospitals deliver radiology services to patients for the better. Not only will the image sharing software reduce the time patients spend in hospital, it will allow for a quicker diagnosis and relieve pressures on radiology services across the region during this period of increased demand.” 

For more information, please visit iii.hm/12uv


Disclosure of conflict of interest: Point-of-View articles are the sole opinion of the author(s) and they are part of the HealthManagement.org Corporate Engagement or Educational Community Programme.


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