CHICAGO, November 30, 2005 - GE Healthcare is bringing the radiology reading room of the future to reality at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, a division of the VA Maryland Health Care System, in December.

Designed as a living, breathing showcase for filmless radiology imaging and interpretation, the new reading room is intended to streamline the procedures and processes that impact treatment flow and patient throughput. A similar model of the Baltimore VA's reading room is on display this week at the 91st annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.

"GE's technologies will make the Baltimore VA Medical Center reading room one of the most advanced possible for radiologists," said Vishal Wanchoo, president and CEO, GE Healthcare Information Technologies. "The new reading room will be a prototype to guide GE's work to modernize other reading rooms at facilities across the country."

In contrast with today's reading rooms, which are not designed for computer interactions, the reading room at Baltimore VA will feature innovative technologies that allow for the customization of almost every ergonomic component, enabling radiologists to optimize their environment specifically for the demands and challenges of large dataset navigation. These fully customizable environments should help prevent repetitive stress injuries currently caused by keyboard and mouse interactions.

Radiologists at Baltimore VA Medical Center also can take advantage of new ergonomic furniture and advanced computer controlled lighting and acoustic systems, a result of extensive research done by GE, architects and ergonomic experts on the workflow habits of radiologists.

"GE worked closely with the facility and its architects to design the room, taking many facets of workflow into consideration. From lighting to ventilation to desk and chair height, it's all adjustable so many body types and work habits can be accommodated," said Wanchoo.

Research at the Baltimore VA Medical Center found that environmental factors, such as lighting and monitor brightness, had the greatest impact on radiologist productivity and fatigue. As a result, ambient lighting at the Baltimore VA reading room will be optimized using blue LED (light-emitting diode) lights for increased energy efficiency and reduced eye fatigue. The cool blue lighting in these environments will sharply contrast the darkened reading rooms with glowing LCD liquid crystal display (LCD) displays which, according to studies by GE's lighting business, increase lighting contrast that can contribute to dry eyes and ultimately eye fatigue.

Acoustics also were considered during the initial design of the reading room. Telephone conversations, dictations, and consultations all occur in normal reading rooms and contribute to overall noisy environments that interfere with radiologist interpretations. Focused sound will be introduced at Baltimore VA to minimize ambient noise by directing computer generated audio such as dictation and teleconferences to only specific areas around the radiologists in such a way that others in the reading rooms will be undisturbed. This also will aid in patient privacy since confidential patient information typically exchanged in consultations will be minimized or masked completely.

The new reading room will occupy a centralized location at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, where consolidated workstation design and improved lighting will create a comfortable environment for radiologists to work and collaborate. In addition to individualized lighting and sound controls intended to reduce eyestrain and other environmental stressors, the room will rely on the integration of information systems and improved workstation ergonomics to create a functional reading environment that serves as a research center and a clinical working environment.

"Radiologist reading rooms are often poorly lit, noisy and uncomfortable," said Sheryl Schulze, of The Environment Group, the design consultant for the project. "As a result, many radiologists end up fatigued, stressed or suffer from repetitive stress injuries. The standard provisions typically provided in these environments do not support the functions and tasks required by the radiologist to perform successfully."

GE Healthcare is leveraging technologies from other GE businesses to enhance and modernize the Baltimore VA Medical Center reading room, including blue light from GE Industrial to increase visual acuity and reduce fatigue, and LCD glass for switching between clear and opaque displays.