Siemens 2007 Annual Report Download - page 65

Healthcare 65
Patient-centric solutions
Demographic change is sweeping the globe. In many parts of the world –
in Africa and Asia in particular – populations are rapidly growing. The U.N.
predicts that the global population, now about 6.7 billion people, will have
surpassed the nine-billion mark by 2050. At the same time, societies are
rapidly aging – not only in the industrialized countries but also in emerging
countries like China and India. In 2050, there will be more people over 60
than under 14. As a result of these developments, the demand for healthcare
– both preventive and curative – is expected to soar.
To make high-quality, patient-oriented, affordable
healthcare a reality for growing numbers of people,
effi ciencies must be increased all along the health-
care continuum – from prevention, early detection
and diagnosis to therapy and follow-up care. That’s
why it’s critical to optimize the healthcare work-
fl ow, which means all activities associated with pa-
tient care. The strategy of Siemens Medical Solu-
tions is to improve workfl ow along the entire
supply chain. This can best be achieved through
continued innovation in applicable technologies
and through the optimization of relevant processes,
for example, by implementing healthcare IT solu-
tions.
Prevention and early detection are key factors in
combatting disease. Treatment in the earliest stages
is not only much more effective but also less costly
than initiating therapy later. We’re unleashing
great potential by coupling imaging technologies
used for in-vivo diagnostics (such as CT and MRI
scans) with in-vitro diagnostics (such as tissue and
fl uid analysis). This integrated approach to diag-
nostics is vital to improving patient outcomes.
Such advances in healthcare quality can be
achieved only by leveraging clinical IT solutions
that enable the seamless transfer of data between
hospitals, laboratories and doctors’ offi ces. Our in-
novative IT systems not only support administrative
processes like hospital room assignment, operation
scheduling and physician invoicing. They also en-
hance patient care – for example, by monitoring
medications and eliminating costly duplication of
clinical procedures. In addition, computer-aided di-
agnostic systems can be used to evaluate imaging
data, making data analysis and interpretation more
effi cient.
Over the last few years, we’ve expanded our port-
folio through targeted acquisitions. By acquiring
Shared Medical Systems (healthcare IT) in 2000,
CTI Molecular Imaging in 2005, Diagnostic Products
Corporation (DPC) and Bayer Diagnostics in 2006,
and Dade Behring in 2007, we’ve created the
world’s fi rst and only fully integrated diagnostics
company combining imaging diagnostics, laborato-
ry diagnostics and clinical IT under one roof.
Answers for life.