Siemens Enables End-to-End Imaging and IT Workflow in Support of EHR; New syngo Suite Offers Role-Based, Fully Integrated Workflow Environment.

CHICAGO -- Highlighting its comprehensive, integrated workflow environment that forms the basis of a true electronic health record (EHR), Siemens Medical Solutions announces the syngo(R) Suite, which will be featured at the 91st Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 (booth #4337) in Chicago.

Siemens offers an innovative healthcare information technology (IT) portfolio designed to enable providers to deliver a cohesive, patient-focused experience - from registration to discharge - across the continuum of care. With the syngo Suite, image acquisition, Radiology Information System (RIS), Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), and post-processing come together with the clinical and administrative cycles addressed by Soarian(R), Siemens' new generation health information solution (HIS). Soarian features a longitudinal clinical repository that gives clinicians browser-based, real-time access to the complete patient record, including patient histories, demographics, allergies, results and images.

"Siemens understood the importance of integrating imaging and IT workflow early on, embarking upon a trendsetting strategy," said Tom Miller, president, healthcare IT Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. "With the syngo Suite and Soarian we are driving the future of healthcare by helping to advance accurate, quick diagnoses and early disease detection."

syngo and Soarian: Partners for End-to-End Workflow

Through syngo, all imaging workflow, from scheduling to viewing and reporting, is role-based and available at the referring physician and radiologist's fingertips. Working across all modalities and offering advanced RIS, PACS, and post-processing in a comprehensive package, the syngo Suite includes:

syngo Imaging - Siemens' Radiology PACS, which is scalable to meet the image volume needs of large academic medical settings to smaller diagnostic imaging centers. The solution features specialized workplaces; Smart Select, a patented navigational tool; dynamic loading and intelligent layout enhancements to speed image reading; tight integration of all components; and advanced post-processing functions.

syngo Workflow - Drives the complete radiological workflow from order entry to image and report distribution. More efficient radiological diagnoses and interpretation are supported via new integrated referring physician and radiologist portals* that combine the traditional information located in a HIS, RIS and PACS into a single user interface and workspace.

syngo Dynamics** - A multi-modality, dynamic image review, diagnosis and archiving system, enabling evidence-based reporting to help improve the efficiency of clinical procedures for cardiology, general imaging and OB/GYN. The solution is scalable for imaging clinics, hospitals and multi-facility health enterprises and features optional interfacing to clinical or hospital information systems.

With HIS, RIS, PACS and post-processing on a single unit, integrated workflow with syngo and Soarian:

--Optimizes decision making for physicians by providing seamless transition between diagnostic images and the patient record with a simple mouse click.

--Provides access to patient histories, results, images, medications and lab data via a single workstation, helping to support safe and efficient care and more accurate diagnosis.

--Enables physicians to verify the appropriateness of tests with more complete information.

--Helps improve financial outcomes through more efficient standardized tools to control cases, identify irregularities, and generate accurate claims.

--Creates knowledge to transform existing standards of care, leading to prevention, earlier diagnosis, greater efficiency and better outcomes.

Meeting The Needs of Diagnostic Imaging Centers

Through the company's strategic partnership with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, a leading provider of ambulatory electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management (EPM) software, Siemens also provides an end-to-end workflow solution for standalone diagnostic imaging centers. The companies recently achieved the first successful go live of Siemens RIS/PACS integrated with the NextGen(R) EPM system at Galen Medical Group, the largest multi-specialty medical group in the Chattanooga, Tenn. region, in October 2005.

"There is much being said about the need for greater IT adoption in healthcare and the integration of imaging and IT, but Siemens is the vendor that is making it happen and meeting our business model needs today," said James Busch, M.D., director, Specialty Networks, the application service provider (ASP) for the Galen Medical Group. "From a standalone imaging center perspective, having RIS/PACS interoperating with an EPM system provides a complete solution for managing our imaging workflow - from scheduling, registration and interpretation to billing - and that is what we achieve through our Siemens partnership."

In collaboration with Siemens, Specialty Networks expects to bring at least nine other diagnostic imaging center customers live on the Siemens/NextGen solution in the coming year.

Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) with headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania and Erlangen, Germany, is one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Employing approximately 31,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 120 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 7.6 billion EUR, orders of 8.6 billion EUR and group profit of 976 million EUR for fiscal 2005 (preliminary figures). More information can be obtained by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.

* The syngo Portals "Radiologist" and "Referring Physician" are not yet commercially available.

** 510(k) approval pending.