For Immediate Release
Contact:
mktgcomm@tams.com
MCKESSON AND TOSHIBA TARGET SMALL HOSPITALS AND IMAGING CENTERS WITH COMBINED MEDICAL
IMAGING SOLUTION
ATLANTA,
GA — July 26, 2006 — McKesson announced that it has signed a distribution
agreement with Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. The agreement calls for Toshiba
to offer McKesson's No. 1 ranked Horizon Medical Imaging™ PACS solution with Toshiba's
innovative diagnostic imaging devices, including the Aquilion™ line of CT scanners.
The agreement is designed to offer imaging centers and hospitals under 200 beds
a turnkey solution that's affordable, easy to implement and easy to support.
In a joint statement,
McKesson and Toshiba noted that they believe this agreement is the best way to offer
the community market affordable, easily installed best-of-breed diagnostic imaging
solutions.
"We are delighted
to enter this agreement and build a relationship with a global leading provider
of diagnostic medical imaging systems," said Sunny Sanyal, group president, Clinical
Solutions, McKesson Provider Technologies. "McKesson and Toshiba are both long-time
industry leaders with numerous complementary products that play critical roles in
most hospital departments today. We are very fortunate to find a business partner
with a similar commitment to quality customer service and a vision to provide smaller
hospitals and imaging centers with diagnostic technologies that were often out of
reach in the past."
"We look forward
to a highly productive relationship with McKesson," said Lawrence Dentice, general
manager and senior vice president, Toshiba America Medical Systems. "The explosive
growth of McKesson's PACS solution across all market segments is testament to its
product quality, interoperability and the company's focus on customer service. As
our technology becomes more sophisticated, we're seeing increased demand to help
customers address large volume data sets. With the name recognition of Toshiba and
McKesson, we expect to accelerate the adoption of our leading applications." Customer
satisfaction coupled with broad and deep product capabilities have been strong drivers
for McKesson's continued PACS growth. Horizon Medical Imaging holds the category
leader designation for the community clinical solutions and community PACS category
in the Top 20: KLAS 2006 Mid-Year Report Card issued last month. It also is ranked
among the top three solutions in the PACS category for general market solutions
in the same KLAS report. Horizon Medical Imaging is modality independent, helping
hospitals to integrate images from multiple modalities with clinical patient data
for more comprehensive electronic health records (EHRs). The system also is designed
to streamline radiology department workflow and to promote improved radiologist
efficiency.
Toshiba's CT
business has installed more than 17,000 CT systems in hospitals, imaging centers
and medical group practices worldwide. The company's award-winning Aquilion system
offers advanced features and capabilities that provide physicians with a powerful
tool that is ideal for applications requiring precise clinical information. At the
heart of the system's design is the superior Quantum detector that produces high-speed,
high-resolution imaging with the best low contrast solution at the lowest dose.
Toshiba's Aquilion has also been widely recognized in industry. For instance, KLAS's
64-slice CT perception report, released in October 2005, ranked Toshiba's Aquilion
64-slice CT system at the top in overall vendor ratings, outpacing leading diagnostic
imaging manufacturers.
About
Toshiba
With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. markets,
sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical
diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the United States. Toshiba Medical
Systems Corporation, an independent group company of Toshiba Corporation, is a global
leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical
solutions, such as CT, X-ray, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, MRI and information
systems, as well as cardiac cath and EP labs. Toshiba Corporation is a leader in
information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products,
and power systems. Toshiba has approximately 161,000 employees worldwide and annual
sales of $53 billion.
About
McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 16th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare
services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver
high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving
the quality and safety of patient care. Over the course of its 173-year history,
McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management
across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians,
homecare, and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for
manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information:
www.mckesson.com.
About
KLAS Enterprises
KLAS Enterprises, LLC, is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting
the performance of information technology vendors in the healthcare field. KLAS
has created a database of information on the performance of 300 vendors and 500
products, as judged by executives and clinicians from more than 4,500 healthcare
facilities. The company gathers data through written evaluations and confidential
interviews, and publishes results regularly. For more information on KLAS, visit
www.healthcomputing.com.