Tieto to improve cancer care - digitalisation speeding up diagnostics

Region Västra Götaland (RVG) will become the first region in Sweden to set up a comprehensive and coordinated tool to support processes across its pathology units. The purpose of the digital overhaul is to streamline the process of diagnosing cancer diseases, secure the quality of tests and analysis and significantly slash waiting times – from referral to response.

Under the co-operation agreement, Tieto will digitalise RVG’s pathology processes by implementing its comprehensive Patos solution. The agreement is valid for 10 years and is worth EUR 46 million. It includes an option for RVG to extend the deal for another 10 years.  

- We are carrying out a paradigm shift within clinical pathology in the region. No other pathology unit has previously coordinated the digitalisation of the whole production process together with the diagnostics. We are convinced that this will lead to significantly higher quality for our patients who will no longer have to wait more than absolutely necessary for their test results, says Mikael Wintell, organisational developer within VGR’s healthcare division.

The Swedish government recently called on the country’s healthcare providers to improve the treatment of cancer diseases and reduce the waiting times. Today, a patient has to wait an average of about one month in the time it takes between a referral and starting an actual treatment. This is in part due to the time it takes to have a tissue sample analysed. The test result then serves as a guide for how to follow up on a patient, what treatments need to be applied and gives an idea of a patient’s prognosis. By digitalising the process, patients will receive their results sooner and it will be possible to start potential treatments earlier.

- This is the key to more efficient cancer diagnostics. An accurate, precise and fast test result creates the prerequisites for making the treatment of cancer even more efficient,” says Lars Lundgren, director of Clinical Pathology at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

The implementation of Patos will start in 2015. All of the region’s pathology laboratories – the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, the NU Hospital Group and the Södra Älvsborgs Hospital – will undergo the overhaul. Getting referrals digitally means that laboratories can steer the processes in different units based on the expected diagnostic that the clinics are asking for. As of now, this is only done once a tissue sample, together with a paper referral, arrives physically.

- The digitalisation of the pathology laboratories creates a better and safer service for our patients.  Region Västra Götaland is at the forefront of this development and we believe that more healthcare providers will follow suit, says Kenth Olofsson, director of Pathology in the NU Hospital Group.

To ensure a high-quality Patos delivery, Tieto has forged a dedicated partnership with Dako, LRI and Lexmark as well as a number of companies prominent within process development, laboratory equipment, material supply, digital imaging and image analysis. Tieto regards the order, which includes developing and delivering comprehensive process support as well as new technology, a major step into the future of diagnostics.

- It is a very important mission which is in line with our ambition of digitalising the public sector and enabling more efficient services for our citizens. The cooperation with Region Västra Götaland’s pathology division is a huge leap when it comes to the development of cancer diagnostics in the Nordics, says Håkan Dahlström, Head of Public, Healthcare and Welfare at Tieto.

For more information, please contact:

Håkan Dahlström, Executive Vice President, Public, Healthcare and Welfare, Tieto
phone: +46 70 633 4000, email: hakan.dahlstrom[at]tieto.com

Lars Lundgren, director of Clinical Pathology and Genetics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital
phone: +46 70 082 3165, email: lars.gu.lundgren[at]vgregion.se

Region Västra Götaland is responsible of providing the region’s 1.6 million inhabitants with the healthcare services they need and ensure there is sufficient offering in place to meet those needs. The county council has around 48,000 employees and revenues of over SEK 55 million a year, of which the healthcare division accounts for about 90 percent. More information is available at: www.vregion.se

Tieto is the largest IT services company in the Nordics providing full lifecycle IT services. We also provide global product development services for companies in the communications and embedded technologies arena. Through industry insight, technology vision, and innovative thinking, Tieto proactively strives to inspire and engage our customers in finding new ways of accelerating their business.

Building on a strong Nordic heritage, Tieto combines global capabilities with local presence. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Tieto has over 13 000 experts in more than 20 countries. Turnover is approximately €1.5 billion. Tieto’s shares are listed on NASDAQ in Helsinki and Stockholm. www.tieto.com

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