RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG, headquartered in Bad Neustadt, Germany, and the Healthcare Sector of Siemens AG plan to intensify their cooperation in the field of cancer diagnostics and therapy in Germany.
The Germany-wide initiative Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC), initiated by RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG, is looking for new ways to fight cancer. "We are happy to have Siemens as a reliable partner at our side in this trendsetting project," said Wolfgang Pföhler, CEO of RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG. "It's our goal to offer to all patients in Germany, also those in rural areas, the treatment they can expect from a university clinic. Thanks to its extensive product portfolio and powerful applications in telemedicine, Siemens can support us excellently in this task." To come closer to this goal within the framework of the CCC project, the focus is on further developing procedures for cancer diagnosis and therapy in addition to establishing innovative IT solutions, such as the electronic patient file, as well as to enhance communication platforms for telemedicine among the treating physicians.
In addition to concluding the cooperation agreement, both companies decided by mutual consent to create a new basis for the particle therapy project at the University Clinic of Marburg. "Particle therapy is a pioneering technology in medical research," said Hermann Requardt, CEO of the Healthcare Sector. "In the course of our development work, however, we've noted that we were too ambitious in making this technology available for an economically feasible general patient treatment. This is why we want to focus more on research now. With this in mind, we have jointly shaped a new contractual basis where the plant in Marburg serves exclusively as a research and development center for Siemens. The activities at the Ion Therapy Center in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital in Shanghai, China, will continue. Both plants tend to be research-focussed as well. We are currently intensely discussing the future of the particle therapy plant at the University Clinic in Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, with the responsible parties there."
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About RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG
RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG is one of the largest healthcare providers in Germany. The company's goal is to provide high-quality medical care for everyone. 53 hospitals at 43 locations throughout Germany as well as 35 medical care centres (MVZ) currently belong to the corporate group. The workforce comprises more than 38,000 employees. In 2010 more than two million patients were treated in the group hospitals.
About Siemens Healthcare Sector
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2010 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 12.4 billion euros and profit of around 750 million euros.