vRad Selected by Abbeville Area Medical Center for PACS Replacement

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual Radiologic (vRad), a technology-enabled national radiology practice, announced today that Enterprise Connect, its PACS alternative solution, has been selected by Abbeville Area Medical Center (AAMC), a 25-bed rural hospital in upstate South Carolina.

AAMC selected vRad's Enterprise Connect(SM), an advanced, cloud-based alternative to traditional on-premise PACS that was developed by radiologists for radiologists. The affordable solution requires no up-front capital expense or costly upgrades to servers.

Dr. K.W. Ballentine, AAMC Staff Radiologist, is responsible for reading approximately 15,000 medical imaging studies per year. "I am excited to start using the technology," explained Dr. Ballentine. "Integrated dictation, critical results communication management and other features that a radiologist can really appreciate are built into the system. It will save time, improve productivity and enable faster diagnosis and treatment for our patients."

AAMC will also use vRad Results(SM) to deliver real-time, mobile and Web-based access to radiology results for care providers. 

Davis Able, Director of Radiology at Abbeville Area Medical Center, shares Dr. Ballentine's enthusiasm for the switch to vRad's technology. Able explained, "vRad's technology reduces IT complexity and simplifies workflow while the savings add up very quickly. The hardware alone would have run $50,000, plus we would have had to continue with our hardware and software maintenance contracts."

"Rural hospitals such as AAMC are under great pressure to do more with less and still maintain high-quality patient care," explained Rob Kill, vRad's President and Chief Executive Officer. "vRad's technology and services enable providers to do just that. Our solutions help to accelerate time to accurate diagnosis while improving the quality and raising the standard of care."

Abbeville Area Medical Center's Chief Executive Officer, Richard Osmus, said, "We look forward to expanding our partnership with vRad beyond just teleradiology, and are confident the technology will have a positive impact on service delivery and support our ability to provide the best possible care in our community."

About vRad

Virtual Radiologic (vRad) is a technology-enabled national radiology practice working in partnership with local radiologists and hospitals to optimize radiology's pivotal role in patient care. vRad's more than 400 radiologists serve 2,700+ facilities, reading 7 million studies annually. Delivering access to extensive subspecialty coverage, vRad contributes to improved quality of patient care. And with its next-generation technology, vRad enhances productivity, helping to lower the overall cost of care while expediting time to accurate diagnosis and treatment. For more information, visit www.vrad.com. For real-time updates, follow us on Twitter (@vRad), or "like" us on Facebook.

About Abbeville Area Medical Center

Abbeville Area Medical Center, located in Abbeville, South Carolina, has been meeting the region's healthcare needs since 1919. The hospital offers a full range of services including a 24-hour emergency department, an inpatient and outpatient surgery center, radiology services including MRI, wellness center, diabetes education, wound care center, sleep lab, laboratory, physical therapy, home medical equipment and home health care. The medical staff includes board-certified primary care physicians and surgeons as well as specialists in urology; ear, nose and throat (ENT); neurology; and orthopedics. For more information, visit  www.AbbevilleAreaMC.com.

SOURCE Virtual Radiologic