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St. Luke’s University Health Network has collaborated with GE Healthcare to acquire and deploy advanced ultrasound technologies.
Through an $11 million investment, 76 ultrasound systems powered by artificial intelligence have been installed at every St. Luke’s hospital campus and dozens of St. Luke’s outpatient sites, standardizing care and increasing efficiencies in radiology, cardiology and vascular services. The installation was completed at the end of 2020.“Recognizing that consistency is an essential element of quality, St. Luke’s has standardized technology to offer patients the same quality of care regardless of which facility they visit,” said Dr. Hal L. Folander, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Strategy Officer, and Network Chairman, Department of Radiology at St. Luke’s.
“This consistency of ultrasound systems across our Network allows accurate replication of patient studies that otherwise would be challenging when working with different brands and vintages of equipment.”
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Evergreen clause allows St. Luke’s to stay ahead
GE Healthcare said St. Luke’s ultrasound order is its largest-ever U.S. ultrasound order.
The new equipment’s artificial intelligence platforms expedite diagnoses, ensuring better outcomes for patients. St. Luke’s upgrade agreement with GE Healthcare includes an “evergreen clause,” which means GE will upgrade the software that runs the machines at no additional cost to the Network.
Laurie Sebastiano, MD, Section Chief for Ultrasound for St. Luke’s, said the upgrade agreement is important because as a leader in healthcare, GE is continually working on and developing new programs to enhance the quality and value of the images from its machines.
St. Luke’s continues to be a regional leader in advanced medical technologies and innovations thanks in part to its three-decade relationship with GE Healthcare.
“GE Healthcare is honored to work alongside St. Luke’s in its mission to provide consistent, quality patient care and clinical outcomes for the people of Pennsylvania and New Jersey at every site,” said Everett Cunningham, President and CEO of GE Healthcare, U.S. and Canada. “St. Luke’s will immediately enhance their staff and patient experience and enable cost savings.”
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Media Contact:
Sam Kennedy, Corporate Communications Director, 484-526-4134, samuel.kennedy@sluhn.org
About St. Luke’s
Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of 14,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and over 300 outpatient sites. With annual net revenue of $1.9 billion, the Network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the region’s first and only regional medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 28 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 226 residents and fellows. St. Luke’s is the only health care system in central-eastern Pennsylvania to earn Medicare’s five-star rating (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health (formerly Truven Health Analytics) repeatedly – six times total and four years in a row including 2018. It has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program. Utilizing the EPIC electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.
