Sacred Heart First in Eastern Washington to Install Convertible Ultrasound Platform From ZONARE

SPOKANE, Wash., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Sacred Heart Medical Center (SHMC), one of the Northwest’s largest hospitals, announced the Center has acquired breakthrough Zone Sonography(TM) technology. The z.one ultrasound system from ZONARE Medical Systems is the world’s first Convertible(TM) Ultrasound platform. SHMC will install two z.one units in the radiology and interventional radiology departments.

“We are committed to providing our patients outstanding medical care supported by state-of-the-art technology,” said Stephanie Nibler, ultrasound manager for SHMC. “Zone Sonography technology allows us the flexibility of using the z.one system as either a fully-featured, cart-based unit or a premium compact system which can easily be taken to the patient’s bedside for an ultrasound exam. This is especially advantageous in treating patients who should sustain minimal movement such as transport to the radiology department.”

The wide array of medical services and treatments offered at Sacred Heart is reflective of today’s healthcare advances. With 623 beds, Sacred Heart is one of the largest hospitals in the Northwest. It employs over 4,000 healthcare professionals and support staff. Its medical staff provides the expertise and skills of over 800 specialists and primary care doctors. Volunteers, who provide support to many hospital services, include 400 women, men and young people.

“We are especially honored to be associated with this superb center of excellence,” said Mark Miller, vice president of sales and marketing for ZONARE. “SHMC’s reputation for combining the latest in technology with unsurpassed patient care throughout the decades of its existence is well established. We look forward to our ongoing partnership.”

The z.one system is based on revolutionary Zone Sonography technology. This unique software architecture has allowed ZONARE Medical Systems to bring the first Convertible Ultrasound platform to the industry with superb image quality and unparalleled clinical versatility. Clinicians are able to instantly convert the z.one system from a full-featured, cart-based unit into a premium compact, ultrasound system with all the performance of substantially larger and more expensive ultrasound units, yet, with greater portability and clinical flexibility than conventional compact systems.

Combining a fundamentally new advance in ultrasound, Zone Sonography technology coupled with the z.one platform’s radical new physical design provides the maximum flexibility offering significant clinical and workflow solutions for a wide variety of customer needs. The z.one platform’s Zone Sonography software-based architecture ensures that its performance will increase as improvements in processing power become available. This allows for fast, convenient upgrades in clinical capabilities, keeping clinicians at the forefront of diagnostic capabilities as well as protecting their investment. With ZONARE’s latest release, upgrades can now be downloaded via the internet, an industry first.

“It is our mission to offer high quality healthcare to every patient we serve,” said Nibler. “We believe the z.one system helps support this goal and our ongoing efforts in providing for the contemporary healthcare needs of people throughout the Inland Northwest.”

About Sacred Heart Medical Center

Sacred Heart is a nonprofit, Catholic hospital founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1886. Providence Services is the parent company of Providence Health Care, of which Sacred Heart Medical Center is the largest entity. Serving the inland Northwest region (multi-state), SHMC offers several centers of excellence. These include Cardiovascular, Children’s Hospital, Providence Neuroscience Center, Trauma, Organ Transplant, Providence Cancer Center, Psychiatry, Women’s Health Center, Bone and Joint program and more. For further information, visit www.shmc.org.

About ZONARE Medical Systems

ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc., designs, develops and manufactures high performance ultrasound solutions, which combine revolutionary technology with an innovative physical design. Zone Sonography technology, ZONARE’s unique patented approach to ultrasound imaging, is focused on bringing premium performance to all clinical settings, leading to enhanced diagnostic capabilities, more cost effective operation and increased value to providers. For more information, please visit our web site at www.zonare.com.

ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc.

CONTACT: Lars Shaw of ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc., +1-650-230-2787, orlshaw@zonare.com