Medical technology, information technology, infrastructure and service concepts

At Medica 2008, which will take place in Düsseldorf from November 19 to 22, 2008, Siemens will present its complete portfolio for the health care sector. Fully integrated medical technology, from a single system to the corporate level – in the health care field this has become the standard requirement. For this reason, Siemens Healthcare has set its sights on being the best integrated healthcare company in the world. By combining diagnostics and therapy, infrastructure concepts, information technology and service concepts, Siemens can offer solutions that encompass the entire continuum of care. Furthermore, these solutions are scalable, from the laboratory up to business management and control.

And in all areas the focus at Siemens is on seamless integration. Highlights at Medica 2008 The latest magnetic resonance systems featuring the Tim (Total imaging matrix) technology strengthen Siemens' position as a pioneer in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With a field strength of 1.5 Tesla, the MAGNETOM ESSENZA meets customers' demands for a reasonably priced and high quality diagnostic system using MRI. The Magnetom Verio is the first 3-Tesla MRI system in the world to have a 70 cm bore. The design of the system provides a much higher level of patient comfort and makes it easier, indeed in some cases makes it possible for the first time, to examine obese and claustrophobic patients. The unique Tim technology developed by Siemens offers particularly good image quality, a higher level of patient comfort and an optimized workflow. Since Tim was introduced in 2003, more than 3,500 MRI systems featuring this technology have been sold worldwide.

With the Somatom Definition AS (Adaptive Scanner) Siemens has, for the first time ever, developed a CT scanner which can be adapted to suit all patients and medical requirements. The system is just as suitable for routine diagnostics as it is for complex examinations such as in neurology or cardiology. The system is also ideal in emergency situations, for example when fast diagnoses are required for accident, stroke or heart attack patients. Even the most varied of patient groups, such as obese and claustrophobic persons or children, can be examined speedily and safely. With the adaptive dose shield, clinically irrelevant overradiation before and after a spiral scan can be eliminated. In this way the X-ray dose that is absolutely necessary for an examination can be reduced even further.

Access to digital radiography is enabled by Multix Swing, an X-ray system with a mobile flat detector, which is just as flexible as a cassette, but is even easier to handle: the detector can be removed from the table and placed directly underneath or next to the patient. Exposures that are difficult or impossible to take using a permanently integrated detector, e.g. lateral exposures of the hip, can now be taken without difficulty. Furthermore, patients with restricted mobility can be Xrayed, e.g. without having to be removed from a wheelchair. With significantly fewer work steps, top quality images that are available quickly and no costs for consumables, this system is economical to use even if the volume of patients is low. SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging with “intelligence” is the next major trend in nuclear medicine. The Symbia gamma camera from Siemens now comes with a new feature, IQ•SPECT, which in the case of cardiac examinations will supply information concerning perfusion in only five minutes. In addition, the CT attenuation correction can be calculated during the examination and calcium scoring can be implemented. At present, perfusion studies of the heart using SPECT systems take approximately 15 to 20 minutes on average. The Acuson S2000 is the first ultrasound system in a completely new product generation. It allows the use of innovative imaging procedures such as Virtual Touch Imaging for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of tissue stiffness. As a result, invasive or elaborate procedures in liver or breast diagnostics can be reduced and cost savings achieved. The new generation of the Acuson X300 Premium Edition offers a broad range of services for medical and cardiac diagnostic imaging as well as applications in obstetrics and gynecology, including 4-D volume imaging. For gynecology and obstetrics, the Acuson S2000, Acuson Antares and Acuson X300 Premium Edition systems offer everything that doctors need in their practice: from screening, diagnosis and therapy all the way to aftercare.

Within the scope of its Customer Care Life Program Siemens has extended the pro-active remote monitoring services Guardian Program to include TubeGuard. TubeGuard can continuously determine the remaining life span of the X-ray tube assembly in the Somatom Definition CT systems and report where an X-ray tube might soon fail. As a result, the risk of system failures is clearly reduced and improved process planning is made possible. The syngo portal solutions support efficient workflow in diagnostic and administrative processes throughout the field of radiology. In the Radiologist portal, radiologists are offered role-based and relevant work lists, images, reports and more clinical information precisely when they need it. With the help of the syngo Portal Referring Physician, physicians referring a patient can, from the comfort of their own computer, arrange an examination date in a hospital or radiology practice for their patients. The results are provided to them digitally, directly after the radiologist's assessment and also in the same portal – and this a number of times on the same day. Cooperative forms of medical care, such as those that are becoming increasingly important in today's health care system, do not function without a shared communication platform. The Health Information Exchange solutions from Siemens allow the treating care providers to communicate seamlessly across institutional and sectoral boundaries. In this way treatment processes can be better adapted to one another or free capacities can be exploited to a greater extent in cooperation ventures. Existing primary systems are not exchanged but instead networked with one another using the Soarian Integrated Care (Soarian IC) software. The core element of Soarian IC is a physician-administrated electronic patient record and case file which allow medical care providers to access all relevant treatment data and documents. A comprehensive authorization and data protection concept is integrated in the solutions; patients must give their prior consent for the use of their data. Siemens furthermore offers a broad range of Hospital Information sSystems (HIS): these include international products such as Soarian with an integrated workflow and rules engine and i.s.h.med, which is integrated in SAP for Healthcare, but also medico//s, a HIS with its own administrative component that is focused on German-speaking regions. Furthermore, at Medica 2008 Siemens will present Management Information Systems (MIS) such as the Management Explorer (MEX) and i.c.m.health. The SAP sector solution “SAP for Healthcare (IS-H)” will be introduced as an administrative component for clinical systems. Here, the SAP Ambulatory Care Management solution featuring the amasys billing system, the certified solution for electronic billing with the association of statutory health insurance physicians (Kassenärztlichen Vereinigungen – KV), should b emphasized in particular. With the introduction of the electronic health card as of January 1, 2009, this software will be of particular relevance to the care providers.

Moreover, Siemens is giving an overview of its complete portfolio as well as its strategy for medical laboratory diagnostics at Medica 2008. Several solutions for the central laboratory and the point of care will also be introduced.

In the area of building automation, Siemens will focus on its integral Total Building Solutions at Medica 2008. Included in the exhibit are an automation solution for operating rooms which, for example, includes an integrated medical gas management system, a system for the distribution of gases in the operating room, provided by a third party. This enables, for example, comfortable and safe operation of the system and reduces interfaces. In the Digital Hospital showcase, trade fair visitors can obtain information on how patient rooms can be designed using building technology to provide more comfort. The exhibition also shows how, for example, dementia patients can be tracked by means of RFID technology for their own safety. The same technology can be used to provide security for mobile devices such as notebooks or machines used to monitor vital signs. This provides anti-theft protection and saves time as the staff know the whereabouts of the devices at all times. The personal assistant ESPRIMO MA, a mobile information and communication device, has been specifically developed for the hospital environment. The robust tablet PC, which weighs only 1.3 kg, can be used at the hospital bed or in the examination room. The fanless housing, which is certified to IP 54 and can be easily disinfected, protects sensitive data; the touch-sensitive 10.4 inch display allows uncomplicated data entry using a pen. Thanks to integrated high-speed connectivity (WLAN, 3G/UMTS) examination data is available at any time – to document the patient's condition locally and to perform comparisons against previous results. With the motto “Unified Communications@Healthcare” Siemens presents several solutions to facilitate communication at the hospital. This includes HiMed V.8, a new version of the tried and tested hospital communication solution. HiMed V.8 can be operated with OpenScape Voice (previously HiPath 8000). With this solution, hospitals can benefit from the structural and economic advantages of software-based communication via IP and have access to all the options offered by Unified Communications. HiMed offers personnel communication applications which are tailored to the processes in hospitals. In addition the solution allows entertainment and communication services for patients to be easily administrated.

Siemens is presenting three of its E-Health solutions. Integrated Care Monitoring comprises the infrastructure and platform for the exchange of information between physicians/hospitals and the cost bearers such as the health insurance company. This leads to more transparency in integrated care contracts with respect to treatments, patients and budgets. In this regard, Siemens demonstrates live at the fair the connection of practice administration systems off-line, on-line connection with electronic health card and on-line connection with biometrics, all in compliance with data protection regulations. The e-Medication solution prevents unnecessary medicines from being prescribed at the pharmacy and avoids their interaction. When medicines are prescribed twice or undesirable interactions occur, the system issues an alarm and the pharmacist can change the medication in time. The E-Health portal serves as a central platform for health processes.

As one of the leading providers of financial solutions in the health care industry, Siemens finances equipment, infrastructure and associated services from one source. Flexible models provide the leeway necessary for investments and projects of any scale. Tailor-made leasing offers are available not only for systems and solutions of Siemens AG, but also for those of third parties.