Digirad, a provider of medical diagnostic imaging systems and services, has signed a letter of agreement with the University of Chicago (UC) Medical Center to deliver cardiac diagnostic services to Chicago-area physicians and patients through Digirad's Centers of Influence program.

Under the agreement, Digirad and the UC Medical Center will offer their respective services and expertise to primary-care physicians in the Chicago area who are seeking to expand their practices with in-office diagnostic imaging, according to the Poway, Calif.-based company.

Through its mobile imaging services division, Digirad Imaging Solutions (DIS), Digirad said it will bring equipment and qualified, trained personnel into physicians' offices to perform imaging procedures. Patients' images will then be interpreted by UC Medical Center physicians and the results sent electronically to the referring physician.

The model of the Centers of Influence provides better care for patients, because it combines the family physician's patient-specific knowledge with the diagnostic expertise of specialists at leading medical institutions, according to Digirad CEO Mark Casner.

As a result, the company said it has added six new centers since launching the program less than a year ago.