Advanced visualization developer Merge Healthcare and Rad-Aid International have announced a new collaboration to bring radiology and health IT to medically underserved parts of the world.
The partnership, called the Rad-Aid Merge International Imaging Informatics Initiative, or RMI4, will combine Merge's radiology information technologies with Rad-Aid's global health outreach network, which includes 3,500 volunteers, 14 country-outreach programs, 33 university-based chapters, and affiliation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the two companies said.
Nearly half the world has little or no radiology services or access to PACS, electronic health records, RIS, or hospital information systems, according to WHO. As part of the collaboration, Merge will contribute software, technical resources, and expertise in radiology image management; Rad-Aid will put these technologies to use at its international partner sites and provide clinical education, onsite training, and radiology assistance to poor and resource-limited countries.
