WARRENDALE, Pa., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, MEDRAD, Inc. and Pinestar Technology, Inc. announced plans to enable data communication between MEDRAD's Intego(TM) PET Infusion System and Pinestar's Nuclear Medicine Information System (NMIS). The companies are closing the information gap between state of the art infusion systems and the latest information systems, and thus adding to the workflow benefits of automated FDG infusion. The data integration capability can be previewed at the Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Conference (June 5th-9th in Salt Lake City) and will be available for sale in late summer 2010.

The data integration establishes reliable communication of PET infusion schedules and histories, and will be the first of its kind in the market. Large hospitals, and even smaller growing PET clinics, are challenged to contain costs, reduce errors, and increase their quality of service -- even in the face of increasing procedure volumes. In addition, there is growing interest in electronic medical records across all departments. Therefore, intelligent communication between systems is of utmost importance.

"Integrating the Intego System with NMIS streamlines PET workflow and reduces needless errors, it's what PET clinics are asking for," says Doug Descalzi, executive director of MEDRAD's Molecular Imaging business. "Plus, the integration will compound the workflow benefits that users experience compared to operating the systems independently."

"Interfacing Intego with Pinestar's NMIS reduces redundant patient demographic entries and transcription errors. Completed dose records are transferred back to the NMIS after the FDG infusion. The technologists will spend more time administering patient care and less time typing," says Pinestar President Chet Mody.

About Pinestar Technology, Inc.:

Pinestar Technology, Inc. has been a leading supplier of equipment and accessories in the diagnostic radiology and medical fields for over 25 years. The company is a distributor of medical products and software and manufactures custom designed table and stretcher pads. Pinestar also develops computer hardware and software serving the medical industry. Pinestar Technology has 2 locations. The catalog business and distribution center is located in Greenville, Pennsylvania, and, the technical staff develops and supports NMIS and other programs in Somerset, New Jersey. Find out more information at www.pinestar.com.

About MEDRAD, Inc.

MEDRAD, Inc. develops, markets and services medical devices used to diagnose and treat disease. Its product offerings include fluid injection systems for radiology and cardiology, endovascular devices for the safe treatment of cardiovascular disease, magnetic resonance-compatible accessories and equipment services. The company's world headquarters is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. MEDRAD is a business of Bayer Medical Care. More company information is available at www.medrad.com.

About Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

    For additional information contact:
    Luanne Radermacher, MEDRAD
    724-940-7968
    lradermacher@medrad.com

SOURCE MEDRAD, Inc.