VisualDx is a $700,000 image-based disease identification system that will be tested in 45 major hospitals throughout the state, including six hospitals in Pittsburgh, five in Philadelphia and two in Scranton.
An announcment from the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the pilot program is the first step toward ensuring every hospital in the commonwealth is equipped with this technology.
"It is important to be able to quickly identify health threats -- especially in emergency situations where response time can, literally, mean life or death," said state Secretary of Health Dr. Calvin B. Johnson. "VisualDx will help health care providers pinpoint diseases and administer the most effective treatment in a shorter amount of time, increasing our potential to save not only the life of a patient, but also the lives of those who may be in danger from the same threat."
With VisualDx, doctors and other health care providers will enter symptoms and observations into the system so the technology can search images from leading research institutions and identify the disease.
"This investment confirms Pennsylvania's commitment to being a front runner in emergency preparedness," Dr. Johnson said. "When it is a public health threat due to infectious disease or bioterrorism, this is another valuable tool that will enable Pennsylvania to better protect its residents."
While Pennsylvania is the first state to implement VisualDx on such a large scale, the system is used in over 200 locations throughout the United States, including Mississippi, Delaware, New York City, Washington D.C., and the US Army. VisualDx is produced by Logical Images, a developer of image-intensive recognition and visual knowledge software.
