The CHUQ project ties the region together and allows the referring physicians and specialists to see the longitudinal view -- a patient's entire medical imaging record -- from one location, said Wilson. "It makes it more efficient for everyone involved in a patient's healthcare," he said.

The next step for CHUQ, according to Langis, is sharing X-ray exams with other health-care establishments from RUIS Laval (Côte Nord, Gaspésie, Bas-St-Laurent, Capitale Nationale and Chaudière-Appalache). "These establishments now store their exams at the diagnosis imaging deposit at Hôpital St-François d'Assise with mirror images at Enfant-Jésus, which results in 2.2 million exams per year," he said.

Two developments going into field trials at the end of September are Agfa's "next best thing" in Canada, said Wilson.

The first is the ability to support XDS, which will enable cross-document sharing. Agfa is currently working with the Province of Alberta on the delivery of XDS, which will enable sharing between vendors and across the province, he said.

The second development, a next step for Agfa's DI-r, is a zero footprint viewer that will provide remote viewing capabilities. Agfa is creating a viewer that will allow you to display medical images on any type of PC, said Wilson.