Imaging & IT
The increasing volume and density of patient data and the complex workflows necessary to operate healthcare institutions can be handled only using state-of-the-art information technology that manages, distributes and analyzes the information as required. That’s why the success of our customers depends on having the most efficient imaging and IT solutions available. And in the end, this is in the best interest of us all, resulting in improved healthcare quality and cost reductions. Siemens has been the acknowledged trendsetter in imaging for several years. In fiscal 2008, we strengthened our technological leadership with a large number of spectacular innovations. Our Artis zeego imaging system, which uses robot technology to provide unprecedented versatility in interventional radiology suites and operating rooms, is producing breakthroughs in minimally invasive therapies. Our SOMATOM Definition Flash DS system is setting new standards for dose efficiency in computed tomography. Our MAGNETOM ESSENZA magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, the most affordable 1.5-tesla MRI system on the market, is bringing state-of-the-art imaging to an entirely new customer segment: rural and community hospitals and doctors’ offices with tight budgets. Our Biograph mCT, the world’s first molecular computed tomograph (CT), offers whole-body PET-CT scanning in five minutes and will make this unique diagnostic tool available for cancer patients worldwide. And our ACUSON SC2000, the first ultrasound system to produce a 3D image of the heart in just one heartbeat, is shifting paradigms in cardiology. Siemens systems are now being used in some 900 million examinations per year worldwide.
Our Healthcare IT solutions provide the “central nervous system” for healthcare enterprises. With syngo, we boast the leading universal software platform for image acquisition, appraisal, administration and archiving. And with Soarian, we offer the only workflow management system which merges, automates and improves administrative, clinical and financial processes in hospitals and doctors’ offices. The combination and integration of these systems is the key to tackling the demographic and economic challenges facing modern healthcare delivery. By implementing this approach, we’re spearheading developments in our industry.
Leveraging our position as the world market leader in imaging systems and healthcare IT, we’re continuously expanding our lead by investing more than ten percent of our revenue in research and development. And these investments are paying off: we file five patent applications for new inventions every workday, and more than 80 percent of our systems are less than three years old.