Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Chooses Elekta for Major Oncology Upgrade

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina has entered into a long-term agreement with Elekta to upgrade and modernize its radiation oncology facilities, including its main campus and satellite facilities. The agreement includes Wake Forest Baptist’s acquisition of multiple radiation therapy treatment systems, electronic medical record systems and clinical consulting services, as well as a reload of their Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ radiosurgery system. The order is included in Elekta’s fiscal third quarter.

“Based on our experience with the Elekta Axesse™ radiosurgery system, MOSAIQ® oncology information system, and technology vision, we believe Elekta is best suited to meet the hospital’s current and future radiation oncology technology needs,” says A. William Blackstock, Jr., MD, Chair of Radiation Oncology at Wake Forest Baptist. “Since acquiring the Elekta Axesse, its body radiosurgery cases have tripled to more than 100 cases per year, comprising a variety of cancer sites throughout the body.”

The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report. It is one of only 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Elekta has a long-term relationship with Wake Forest Baptist as a provider of neurosurgery and oncology solutions and services.

“Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is a world-class center of excellence, and Elekta is excited to deploy its cutting-edge technology alongside Wake Forest Baptist’s clinical expertise to improve patient care,” says Elekta’s Jim Rose, Vice President, Oncology Systems. “We are very pleased with WFUBMC's renewed confidence in Elekta for the provision of state-of-the-art integrated oncology systems.”

Domingo Valpuesta, Business Manager, Radiation Oncology at WFUBMC says: “We value the consultative services Elekta is bringing to Wake Forest. With our combined resources, we believe we can achieve our vision of creating an oncology information system to manage all our information needs, integrate with our hospital-wide EMR, improve our daily efficiency and enhance patient safety protocols.”

The multi-system agreement with Elekta covers Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and its affiliated and owned cancer centers: Cancer Center of Davidson County at Lexington Memorial Hospital (owned); Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital (affiliated); and Caldwell Memorial Hospital (affiliated).

The technology specifically includes four Elekta Infinity™ linear accelerator systems, the MOSAIQ oncology information system for complete electronic medical records, practice management and workflow enhancements; the SYNERGISTIQ™ workflow management system which integrates MOSAIQ and Elekta Infinity from a single workstation, and Clarity® for soft tissue visualization. It also includes MOSAIQ Oncology Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), cobalt reload for Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, and consulting services.

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For further information, please contact:

Stina Thorman, Vice President Corporate Communications, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 8 587 254 37, +46 70 778 6010, email: stina.thorman@elekta.com

The above information is such that Elekta AB (publ) shall make public in accordance with the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was published at 7.30 CET on March 8, 2011. 

About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc.edu) is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. It operates 1,004 acute care, rehabilitation and psychiatric care beds. The Medical Center’s 3 main components are: North Carolina Baptist Hospital; Wake Forest University Physicians; and Wake Forest University Health Sciences (includes the School of Medicine).

About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow-enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that give confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible today.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in more than 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.

Elekta employs about 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb.