National Diagnostic Imaging Co-operation - VINNOVA is providing EUR 1,1 million to support the project for more effective diagnostic imaging

VINNOVA has announced that they decided to grant EUR 1 132 595 in support of a project for more effective diagnostic imaging involving new forms of networked co-operation. The purpose of the project is to establish co-operation involving competencies, capacities and multidisciplinary teams in the field of diagnostic imaging.

The project has its point of departure in the fact that new forms of co-operation focused on competencies and resources are needed because diagnostic imaging is facing substantial challenges that the current healthcare structure is unable to handle. Diagnostic imaging often becomes a ”bottleneck” in the flow of medical care, with there being an enormous shortage of radiologists and pathologists. The project sees a great potential in having multiple organisations working together in a network to share their competencies and resources.

The project members will together dedicate human resources equivalent to the founding made by VINNOVA giving the project a total value of EUR 2 265 190. The consortium behind the project is drawn from academic institutions, healthcare/medical treatment services and the private-sector business community. 
- RxEye AB (Medical technology  working with remote reviewing of diagnostic imaging)
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Technology and Health 
- Blekinge Institute of Technology 
- Blekinge County Council
  - Pathology Department
- Stockholm County Council
  - Healthcare Provision 
  - Regional Cancer Centre
  - Echocardiography Laboratory of the Cardiology Clinic, Karolinska Huddinge
  - Pathology Department

With a point of departure in the technical platform that RxEye is currently using today in radiology, the project is intended to create a national co-operation platform in order to reach experts regionally, nationally and even internationally in order to provide reinforcement for local competencies. In this new co-operation platform, the co-operation will occur transverse to the organisational boundaries that exist today, enabling exchanges of competency and quality within the entire field of diagnostic imaging. The efforts will be focused initially on pathology, echocardiography and multidisciplinary teams (i.e. beyond the existing radiology function). Patients must be able to always have reliable access to diagnostic expertise on a regional, national and international basis regardless of where the patient is located.

”It is extremely positive that VINNOVA has decided to support this project. The project will now have the resources that are needed to implement this new manner of co-operation.  We have a strong belief that this project will make a crucial difference to medical care itself as well as to the patients who will be gaining access to expertise regardless of where they are located,” says Magnus Hök, Principal Project Manager, Managing Director of RxEye AB.

The purpose is for patients to be given better accessibility, receive correct diagnoses earlier and thus more effective treatment, while at the same time enabling the medical service to provide more efficient care at reduced costs and with improved patient safety.

The long-term vision is for patients to receive the best possible diagnostics regardless of their specific geography via a global network of specialists.

The project will be assessed on an on-going basis and final reporting will occur in 2014.

Would you like to know more? Please contact us, we would be quite pleased to be of assistance.

Magnus Hök, Principal Project Manager, Managing Director, RxEye AB, (+46) 070-488 88 01, magnus.hok@rxeye.net, www.rxeye.net

Roger Henriksson, RCC (Regional Cancer Centre) Stockholm, Stockholm County Council
(+46) 070-588 99 33

Christina Kling Hassler, Senior Physician, Individual responsible for diagnostics process, Regional Cancer Centre, Stockholm & Gotland, Stockholm County Council, (+46) 070-484 46 57

Bo Helgeson, Professor of Interaction Design, Blekinge Institute of Technology, (+46) 0455-385 558

Björn-Erik Erlandsson, Professor of Medical Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, (+46) 070-551 43 30

Lars-Åke Brodin, Professor of Medical Technology and Dean KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Technology and Health, (+46) 08-790 48 69

Katarina Sulasalmi, Blekinge Centre of Competence, Blekinge County Council, (+46) 0455-73 78 33

Lennart Mellbom, Senior Physician and Individual medically responsible for pathology, Blekinge County Council, (+46) 0455-734940

RxEye is a rapidly growing Swedish IT company focused on medical technology enabling public sector and private sector enterprises to purchase and/or sell quality-assured and cost-effective examination services in the field of diagnostic imaging.  With the use of RxEye, the organisational boundaries are erased - making for better care, faster and more correct diagnostics and access to expertise on a global basis. Simple, flexible and safe.

VINNOVA is Sweden's innovation authority. VINNOVA has been tasked with promoting sustainable growth by improving the preconditions for innovation and financing needs-motivated research. VINNOVA is a governmental authority under the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications and the national contact authority for the EU's framework programme for research and development.