The Essen University Medicine, Germany's leading hospital company for digitalized medicine, and Siemens Healthineers, a world-leading medical technology company, plan to work together to develop the hospital of the future. Both parties signed a partnership agreement with the goal of making innovative medical procedures and applications a part of daily clinical practice. One example is a program based on artificial intelligence to support decision-making along the treatment pathway: The AI-Pathway Companion(1) from Siemens Healthineers. Based on data integration from various clinically relevant data sources, such as diagnostic imaging and In-vitro-tests, the AI-Pathway Companion provides physicians on interdisciplinary boards with the treatment status of the patient in question and offers suggestions for further steps along clinical guidelines. It thus accompanies patients on their whole diagnose and treatment process.
The parties would also like to work together in the field of telemedicine. The aim is to provide better at-home care for patients with chronic disorders of the lung and the cardiovascular system, so they will have to travel to the hospital only when medically necessary. The better utilization of clinical devices like ultrasound systems is another area for collaboration between the parties. The aim of the digital fleet management is to make it easier for physicians and staff to get the best out of the ultrasound systems. The parties also perceive major opportunities to achieve lasting improvements in other areas of clinical care by making use of digital solutions and procedures. Christoph Zindel, President Diagnostic Imaging at Siemens Healthineers emphasizes: "We're taking our long-standing collaboration with the University Hospital to a new level and are very pleased to be working together on the pathway to the Smart Hospital. With this cooperation we are driving significant developments, while regular discussions provide both sides with valuable experience, which we can incorporate directly into our products and solutions."
The two parties aim to share their experiences in day-to-day clinical activities and technical developments with each other and refine the concept as they go. As the hospital of the future, the "Smart Hospital" will allow both patients and employees to achieve tangible benefits from the opportunities that digitalization offers. "Medicine is experiencing the greatest transformation in its history," says Professor Jochen A. Werner, CEO of Universitätsmedizin Essen. "The hospital of the future will be a digitalized, innovative, and process-optimized steering platform that will function much more efficiently and be far more networked than at present, thanks to the use of artificial intelligence. It places an even firmer focus on people and their well-being, whether as patients, dependents, or employees. With its Smart Hospital strategy, Universitätsmedizin Essen understands that digitalization in healthcare is an all-encompassing process. To implement this vision of an innovative, yet empathetic healthcare system of the future, we need strong partners that share our outlook. We're therefore very happy to be working alongside Siemens Healthineers on specific projects to implement the next milestones on the pathway to the Smart Hospital."
"Digitalization and utilization of artificial intelligence in medicine are significantly more challenging than in other areas," says Bernd Ohnesorge, President of the region Europe, Middle East and Africa at Siemens Healthineers. "Despite this, the German health sector with its close linking of top-class treatment and innovative medical technology offers great opportunities for successful digitalization. The extensive cooperation with Essen University Medicine connects innovation in diagnostic imaging, in-vitro and molecular diagnostics with the digitalization and optimization of the patient's pathway. This is an important step for us and a blueprint for future projects."
Thorsten Kaatze, vice-chairman of the board of Universitätsmedizin Essen, underlines the connection between digitalization and profitability: "We focus our investments in digital projects and strategic partnership to bring us closer to our goal of the Smart Hospital. The cooperation with Siemens Healthineers will be a valuable contribution to continue offering top-class clinical services to our patients and to further advance our role as the leading healthcare provider in the third largest conurbation in Europe."
About Siemens Healthineers
Siemens Healthineers enables healthcare providers worldwide to increase value by empowering them on their journey towards expanding precision medicine, transforming care delivery, improving patient experience and digitalizing healthcare. A leader in medical technology, Siemens Healthineers is constantly innovating its portfolio of products and services in its core areas of diagnostic and therapeutic imaging and in laboratory diagnostics and molecular medicine. Siemens Healthineers is also actively developing its digital health services and enterprise services. In fiscal 2018, which ended on September 30, 2018, Siemens Healthineers generated revenue of €13.4 billion and adjusted profit of €2.3 billion and has about 50,000 employees worldwide.
About The Essen University Medicine
The Essen University Medicine comprises Essen University Hospital and twelve subsidiaries, including the Ruhrlandklinik, St. Josef Hospital Essen-Werden, the Heart Center Essen-Huttrop, and the West German Proton Therapy Center Essen. With some 1,700 beds, Universitätsmedizin Essen is the leading healthcare center of competence in the Ruhr region, and is on the way to becoming a Smart Hospital. In 2017, its 8,200 staff treated almost 72,000 inpatients and 300,000 outpatients. It specializes in cardiovascular medicine, oncology, and transplants. With the West German Tumor Center, one of the largest tumor centers in Germany; the West German Center for Organ Transplantation, a leading international center for transplants in which its specialists perform transplants of all vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, heart, and lungs; and the West German Heart and Vascular Center, a supra-regional center for tertiary cardiovascular care, the importance of Universitätsmedizin Essen for patient care extends far beyond its own region. The key factor underpinning its clinical performance is the research performed at the Medical Faculty of the University of Duisburg-Essen, with its clear focus on oncology, transplantation, cardiovascular medicine, and in the umbrella fields of immunology, infectiology, and genetic research.1. AI-Pathway Companion is currently under development. It is not for sale in the U.S., EU and other countries and its future availability cannot be guaranteed. AI Pathway Companion does not yet fulfill all the essential requirements according to the European Medical Device Directive (93/42/EEC) and its national implementations.