Philips' healthcare comparable sales declined by 1% year-on-year. Customer Services and Home Healthcare Solutions had low-single-digit growth, Patient Care & Clinical Informatics sales were flat, and Imaging Systems sales had a high-single-digit decline. Currency-comparable equipment order intake declined by 5%. EBITA margin improved to 10.4% of sales. EBITA margin excluding restructuring and other charges was 10.5% of sales, a year-on-year improvement of 0.9 percentage points.

At the Second Forum of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Siemens Healthcare will debut the new RT Pro edition of the Somatom Definition AS Open 20/64 large bore computed tomography system. The RT Pro edition was specially developed for use in radiation therapy and permits more precision in therapy planning and cancer treatment - particularly under difficult conditions, such as obese patients and artifacts from metal implants and tumor motion.

At a COCIR' event in Brussels yesterday on 'Digital Hospitals: Healthcare transformation from electronic patient records to fully connected hospitals', speakers from the European Commission, OECD, hospitals and industry came together to discuss how to maximise the use of health ICT to drive efficiency in hospitals while maintaining a highest level of quality and safety.

TotalMobile Ltd has chosen HC2013 to announce that social enterprise and NHS provider Bristol Community Health will begin a pilot this spring of the TotalMobile™ App Platform, a mobile workflow management solution which allows healthcare professionals to spend less time on administration and travel, and more with patients.

Mobile solution provider TotalMobile Ltd will announce the launch of their TotalMobile App Platform - a workflow management solution into the UK healthcare market at HC2013 (16th - 17th April, ICC Birmingham) by presenting the benefits of adopting a mobile working strategy. Delegates will be able to experience live demonstrations on stand 18 and see how it supports healthcare professionals working on mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets to update patient information and record medical tasks whilst on location.

By Kurt Long, CEO of FairWarning
The NHS is currently undergoing a transformation, which once completed will give place to a new, leaner and more efficient healthcare landscape. With limited financial resources and having to meet the growing needs of an ageing population, many NHS trusts are struggling, some have gone into administration, such as South London Healthcare NHS Trust, with more to follow suit.

iMDsoft®, a leader in clinical information systems, announced the opening of a new office with an expanded workforce in Düsseldorf, demonstrating their firm commitment to the European market. The local team will now include a German-based professional services team providing support 24/7.