International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra and UniHA, a cooperative of French public hospitals, have signed a framework agreement for Sectra Digital Pathology. The framework agreement will enable hospitals connected to UniHA to purchase Sectra’s solution on pre-negotiated terms and conditions without undergoing a public tender process. This makes it possible for pathologists to review and collaborate around cases in a way that is not possible with microscopes. It will reduce variation and increase efficiency in primary diagnostics, thereby improving cancer care.
“I’m excited that Sectra has been selected to support public hospitals in this incredibly important transformation to digital pathology. I am confident that together, we can improve patient care through more efficient image review, collaboration, sharing of expertise and implementation of new technology such as AI,” says Fabien Lozach, President of Sectra in France.
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Using digital images of tissue samples instead of physical glass slides, Sectra’s solution allows pathologists to instantly access and share current and historical images and information between departments and hospitals and to benefit from evolving technology such as AI. The digital solution provides pathologists with assistance at critical decision points, such as grading or performing more precise measurements. It also enables image analysis, which in turn reduces variation and improves the precision of tasks such as cell counting. Digital access further facilitates second opinions and external reading resources as well as enabling integrated diagnostics.
The four-year framework agreement, signed in May 2022, includes Sectra’s solution for reviewing and reporting on pathology cases. Sectra was selected for both single-site and multi-site hospitals.
UniHA, Union des Hôpitaux pour les Achats, is a cooperative of French public hospital purchasers created in 2005 by the hospital staff themselves (32 university hospitals and 20 hospitals). Today, 1,144 hospitals and 120 Territorial Hospital Groupings have joined UniHA. By pooling their purchasing expertise and strengthening their financial positions, they aim to provide the best patient care and healthcare service as well as equal access to care.
Sectra’s pathology solution is part of its enterprise imaging solution, which provides a unified strategy for all imaging needs while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution, with a VNA at its core, allows healthcare providers to grow from ology to ology and from enterprise to enterprise.