Short distances in hospital information exchange help to reduce time for examinations and get fast diagnoses. Therefore integrated radiology information and picture archiving communication systems (RIS/PACS) are key in modern healthcare. The University Hospital in Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has implemented a Web-based IT solution by GE Healthcare for radiology information management and picture archiving of all imaging modalities in the newly created hospital building.

Carestream Health, Inc., announced that its CARESTREAM eHealth Managed Services (eMS) now manages 10 million imaging studies - representing more than 500 terabytes of data - worldwide. The company operates eight data centers in five countries to service healthcare providers throughout North America and Europe.

The new acute hospital to serve the healthcare needs of residents in Birmingham and the West Midlands will benefit from a raft of innovative medical imaging technologies when it opens its doors to patients in 2010. A multi-million pound investment on four MRI scanners, four CT and three SPECT/CT systems has been made by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

CompuGROUP Holding AG, the e-health service company with the broadest reach among service providers world-wide, is now supporting the integrated treatment of patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes mellitus through its subsidiary GIV. Client Knappschaft Bahn See expects the programme to provide more effective patient care and reduce costs significantly.

• Global downturn in consumer and lighting markets
• Healthcare facing a very soft US hospital market; performance in emerging markets and Home Healthcare Solutions remains strong
• EBITA loss of EUR 74 million includes charges of EUR 77 million
• Reduction of fixed cost base progressing well and expected to exceed EUR 500 million annualized by the end of this year
• Rigorous management of working capital continues; cash balance increased, net debt reduced

External study import becomes an increasing challenge for some institutions where external studies outnumber those produced internally. To address this demanding import workflow ETIAM releases a new version (v2) of CD-in, a small footprint application for importing images on CDs/DVDs or other media from outside institutions, into a PACS.

Healthcare organisations are throwing mobile technology at problems without fully considering the underlying business processes or the working conditions of the end-user. This is the key finding of a multi-country report across the healthcare sector from industry analysts Quocirca. It was commissioned by Anoto, the inventor of Digital Pen and Paper technology.