BOSTON, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- AG Mednet, the world’s largest diagnostic imaging network, today announced it has been selected by Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), one of the largest federally funded cancer clinical trials cooperative groups in the United States, to provide a secure, 21 CFR Part 11- and HIPAA-compliant image network. With the AG Mednet network, SWOG will be able to enhance quality and increase the speed and flexibility of image transfer among its more than 550 investigating centers, including 17 of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Centers, all while reducing associated costs.
Funded by research grants from the NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, SWOG conducts clinical trials to prevent and treat cancer, and to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.
In a cooperative group setting such as SWOG, managing imaging data has been challenging. Obtaining concise data on images, and getting that information entered into the research record, was inefficient and thought to be a potential source of bias, a much-debated topic with the FDA relative to registration studies. SWOG looked hard for a solution to this issue, since mailing films for an independent third party interpretation was not efficient and plagued with compliance issues, while the electronic transfer of images outside of institutions proved to be a technological hurdle. The AG Mednet diagnostic imaging network enabled SWOG to overcome these challenges at minimal cost.
“A goal for SWOG is to minimize the impact on workflow, since we recognize our investigators are extremely busy,” commented Dr. Laurence H. Baker, Chairman of SWOG and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. “With AG Mednet, our investigators will be able to decrease the workload involved with image transfer and benefit from a Part 11- and HIPAA- compliant solution, which is a key reason AG Mednet was the ideal choice for this venture. Having an advanced and flexible network to transfer images easily will have a very positive impact on the quality metrics of our work.”
“It’s a privilege to be selected by a prestigious national clinical trial organization like SWOG,” said Abraham Gutman, founder and CEO of AG Mednet. “The AG Mednet network was designed from the ground-up to meet the exact challenges SWOG is facing, namely speeding image exchange in a cost-effective yet compliant manner, while enhancing compliance at investigator sites. We’re delighted to be working with SWOG and its network of investigating sites, and hope that our contribution to their mission will be long and positive.”
About AG Mednet
AG Mednet is the world’s largest diagnostic imaging network. With AG Mednet, teleradiology operations can increase productivity and enhance service by using the advanced managed transport operations and extensive monitoring of the company’s 10 GB network to collect and distribute lossless diagnostic image studies of any size. Core Labs, Pharmaceutical, bio-tech, device and clinical research organizations that utilize imaging technology now have a high-performance platform for secure electronic image and transmittal form submissions, enhancing site compliance and increasing Core Lab and Investigator site productivity. AG Mednet is headquartered in Boston and serves the global medical community. For more information call 1-888-9AGMEDNET or visit www.agmednet.com .
CONTACT: Kathy Wilson, +1-781-652-0499, kwilson@tieronepr.com, or Keri
Mattox, +1-215-791-0105, kmattox@tieronepr.com, both for AG Mednet
Web site: http://www.agmednet.com/
