Celebrating the first U.S. installation of GE Healthcare’s new Revolution™ Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, GE Chair and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey R. Immelt visited West Kendall Baptist Hospital today for a hospital tour and reception with local business leaders and Baptist Health executives.

The Revolution CT has been in operation at the hospital since September 2014. West Kendall Baptist Hospital purchased the highly advanced equipment, developed by GE Healthcare, after conducting a six-month on-site clinical trial – the first such trial in the world.

“We are grateful to West Kendall Baptist Hospital’s physicians for their collaboration and rigorous testing during the trial,” said Mr. Immelt. “A core component of GE Healthcare’s strategy is partnering with customers to understand their clinical and operational needs, and in turn develop next-generation technology that delivers the outcomes they’re looking for. The Revolution CT was designed to be a game changer and is one of the most significant CT advancements in the last decade, providing uncompromised image quality at a very low dose.”

CT gives physicians a look inside the body at organs, soft tissues, vascular structures and bones using X-rays to generate very high-resolution images. Other than a simple X-ray for a bone fracture, CT is likely to be the first imaging exam many patients will encounter when they are suspected of having serious disease or injury. CT is used in the emergency department and general inpatient and outpatient environments. It is also used in guiding less invasive interventional procedures such as biopsies and ablations.

With the convergence of whole-organ coverage, image quality and speed found in the Revolution CT scanner, West Kendall Baptist Hospital physicians are now able to diagnose even the most challenging patients. This innovative technology can enable clinicians to diagnose more cardiac patients with erratic or high heartbeats and provide pediatric patients with sedation-free and low-dose scanning capabilities, among other clinical advances.

“According to our physicians, patient feedback about their experience with the Revolution CT has been uniformly positive,” said West Kendall Baptist Hospital CEO Javier Hernández-Lichtl. “The advanced design definitely makes for a less intimidating, more comfortable patient experience, while yielding amazingly accurate and detailed images. The Revolution CT is truly revolutionary, and we are pleased to have had early access to this technology.”

Miami Heart Study Announced

Baptist Health South Florida’s Chief Operating Officer, Wayne Brackin, also announced the hospital’s participation in the Miami Heart Study, an important medical research project recently launched by Baptist Health South Florida. The study is designed to learn more about prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease – still the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.

“Through the Miami Heart Study, our physicians will look for new connections between factors such as genetics and lifestyle behaviors, discover new risk factors and validate information about the risk factors we already know,” said Mr. Hernández-Lichtl.

The study seeks 4,000 volunteer participants in South Florida. Participation requires a commitment of one day (four to six hours) of testing and examinations at West Kendall Baptist Hospital, as well as responses to periodic follow-up surveys over the next five years. Volunteer qualifications and other details are available at MiamiHeartStudy.com.

“Healthy Hub” Introduced

Mr. Hernández-Lichtl invited the public to experience a new preventive healthcare tool, the Healthy Hub, now available in the hospital’s main lobby. This high-tech, walk-up healthcare station offers a fast, free assessment of blood pressure, blood glucose, blood cholesterol, body fat percentage, body fat index and heart score from the American Heart Association’s MyLifeCheckTM. Users receive a printed report, a referral for any necessary follow-up care and information from Healthy West Kendall about community resources.

The Healthy Hub is sponsored by Healthy West Kendall, a community-wide initiative developed by West Kendall Baptist Hospital and supported by the hospital’s community partners. “Getting and staying healthy is easier when you can track your progress,” said Mr. Hernández-Lichtl. “The Healthy Hub is an easy, free way to check your vital statistics, and the whole process takes only about 15 minutes.”

MyLifeCheck is a trademark of the American Heart Association

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital) and more than 30 outpatient and urgent care facilities spanning three counties. The not-for-profit, faith-based Baptist Health has more than 15,000 employees and 2,200 affiliated physicians, and also includes Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Outpatient Services and internationally renowned centers of excellence. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities. Baptist Health was just listed by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America (#19 in the nation and #1 in Florida) and has remained on the list for 14 years. It was also recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the third year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. Visit BaptistHealth.net.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for increased access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world. GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter – great people and technologies taking on tough challenges. From medical imaging, software and IT, patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and performance improvement solutions, GE Healthcare helps medical professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients.