NEXUS / CHILI
A Holistic Approach to Advanced Teleradiology

It goes back to those days of endless brainstorming sessions inside the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) when a team of three vetted scientists and medical IT specialists set out to establish the first teleradiological networks in the early 1990s. Taking note of teleradiology’s growth with break-neck advances in telecommunications, computer technologies, and health care economics, the trio developed their research in this rapidly evolving specialty of telemedicine and its significance in primary diagnosis. Their ambition gained more steam as they noticed a significant proportion of systems in current use were not able to cope with the up-to-the-minute standards of appropriate primary diagnosis. Thus, with an aim to redefine the landscape of PACS and teleradiology services, CHILI was born. The Heidelberg-based company’s solutions have been on the market since 1997 and have actively helped in shaping the standards of teleradiology, and continue to do so by offering the bestin- class software components for radiology and other image processing fields.

In 2017, to further strengthen the company’s product portfolio in the areas of telemedicine and image archiving systems, CHILI became part of the NEXUS Group. Following close cooperation and joint sales, the radiology departments of NEXUS / DIS GmbH and CHILI GmbH were merged in December 2019 and have since been operating under the new name NEXUS / CHILI GmbH. Today NEXUS / CHILI GmbH offers its customers an even more diverse product portfolio from a single source. “The innovative suite of software solutions by NEXUS / CHILI highlights the ultimate role of teleradiology systems by allowing referring or consultant physicians to review images at home and turn primary diagnosis advantageous for both, patients and practitioners,” says Dr. Uwe Engelmann, CEO and Co- Founder of NEXUS / CHILI. As another beneficial effect of this remote accessibility, physicians can effectively support their colleagues with medical diagnostics and consult them even in desolate and inaccessible areas where radiological expertise may be lacking.

Gaining the Distinctive Edge

At a time when offering healthcare solutions through digital portals is becoming a ’hot cake’ across the spectrum of healthcare services, NEXUS / CHILI’s teleradiology portal covers the entire teleradiological process: from creating requests to providing data for accounting, each step is mapped and recorded electronically. The teleradiologist can analyze image data independent of location to check the justifying indication and order the required examination for the patient.

The innovative suite of software solutions by NEXUS / CHILI highlights the ultimate role of teleradiology systems by allowing referring or consultant physicians to review images at home and turn primary diagnosis advantageous for both, patients and practitioners

Moreover, the company supports the entire digitization process in the radiology departments with the inclusion of ground-breaking technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to improve the workflow across the entire teleradiology department. Additionally, by closing a deal with an organization that offers an open AI platform, NEXUS / CHILI is championing the use of AI and the multitude of opportunities it brings for diagnostic imaging. The company is looking to autonomously analyze recordings and relieve the radiologists of time-consuming tasks through AI-based adaptive algorithms. At the same time, NEXUS / CHILI is also implementing AI, which supports diagnostic departments in handling FDA clearances as well as other regulatory approvals in Europe, without any errors. “This way, we ensure that the radiology departments across healthcare organizations can embed various AI solutions into a single interface without going on a shopping spree for individual software solutions from different vendors,” adds Engelmann.

Teleradiology with a Difference

The company´s technological capabilities are complemented by its distinctive approach to serving its customers. By actively involving the customer and gaining a detailed insight on areas of improvement in the radiology department the company stays true to the concept of developing modular solutions. Once they get an idea of the client’s pain points, NEXUS / CHILI accordingly modifies their suite of software components to devise a customized solution for the client.

Envisioning software components as LEGO^® blocks for toy buildings, the company suitably adds technological stacks and crafts the solution to fit the customer’s individual demand. “This is why we believe our agenda for software development is always driven by the customers,” highlights Engelmann. However, the company doesn’t just stop at delivering the solution. Housing a quality management system that incorporates customer feedback into the new functionalities meant for future product updates, NEXUS / CHILI develops product roadmaps in sync with customer expectations and requirements. “Every client’s requirements are unique. Understanding this uniqueness and offering the most suitable solution is what differentiates us from other companies in the field of teleradiology solutions,” emphasizes Engelmann.

Headquartered in Germany, NEXUS / CHILI also has NEXUS sister companies in Poland, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria, among others. With this expansive presence across Europe, the company is looking to offer joint solutions for their customers by combining products of several companies inside the Nexus Group. Consequently, customers can access a far broader product range that shares the same underlying architecture. “Meanwhile, we are also looking forward to engaging in partnerships with other companies. It is a part of our long-term strategy that will help us gain an international footprint and serve a broader client base in the near future,” concludes Engelmann. NEXUS / CHILI is eagerly anticipating its 25th anniversary in 2022.