Siemens Introduces Soarian Disease Management to the Cardiac Market; Cardiology Solution Links Physicians, Payers and Patients.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Siemens Medical Solutions is unveiling Soarian(R) Disease Management, its solution for enhanced patient management, at the 2005 American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla., held from March 6 to 9 (booth # 441). The newest member of the Soarian family is a workflow-driven solution that supports the management of patients with chronic diseases, such as heart disease, by optimizing the care delivery process - making valuable information accessible to the clinician, payer and patient.

By linking payers, providers and patients through innovative communication technology, Soarian Disease Management gives caregivers the tools to identify chronic disease proactively, then manage and monitor patients through the application of evidence-based guidelines and protocols. A smart user interface supports the entire process, from patient identification to compliance control for the treatment regimen, while allowing data to be exchanged with other healthcare information technology (IT) systems, including lab and pharmacy sources. In addition, remote patient monitoring is facilitated via biometric, interactive voice recognition (IVR), or hand-held devices.

"This unique system will help providers turn the burdens of chronic illness into opportunities for improved patient outcomes, greater efficiency in the coordination of care and reduced costs in providing care," said Janet Dillione, chief operating officer, IT Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. "In few environments is this more crucial than in the cardiac care setting, where saved time can equal saved lives."

Siemens currently has beta installations of Soarian Disease Management at the Nebraska Heart Institute (NHI) and South Carolina Heart Center (SCHC), where the system is helping to streamline the cardiac care delivery process by applying workflow technology, innovative tools, and access to information in a distributed care setting. The facilities are benefiting from support of the entire disease management process, from enrollment and care planning to patient monitoring, compliance tracking of the treatment regimen and outcomes reporting to promote a higher quality experience for patients and physicians. Siemens expects to make Soarian Disease Management generally available in mid-2005.

Nebraska Heart Institute

Soarian Disease Management is helping the Nebraska Heart Institute streamline and optimize staff utilization in managing congestive heart failure patients. The facility hopes to benefit from reduced costs of providing care by giving the most challenging patients tools to manage their healthcare. According to NHI, these patients and their families, in turn, can benefit from an improved quality of life, reduced out of pocket costs and enhanced communication with their caregivers.

"Soarian Disease Management provides the tools to proactively manage and monitor patients through the application of evidence-based guidelines and protocols," says Sheryl Dodds, CEO of NHI. "The system routes, identifies and coordinates processes as well as needed procedures that at one time may have been missed, resulting in efficient processes that help save time, improve staff productivity and reduce cost."

South Carolina Heart Center

South Carolina Heart Center is using Soarian Disease Management to improve the management of heart failure patients. The facility's goal is to reduce the need for heart failure hospital admissions and the length of stay when patients are admitted by involving the patient in the management of their chronic condition and improving communication with all healthcare stakeholders. The system is allowing SCHC to focus on enhancing patient compliance for the treatment regimen by monitoring symptoms, weight, vital signs, medication and diet restrictions. Reports generated are improving communication between all healthcare providers that manage the patient.

"The Soarian Disease Management software enables our facility to track the current health status of the patient to allow early recognition of deterioration and early intervention," says Tim Atteberry, CEO of SCHC. "Not only is the patient's quality of life improved due to better management of heart failure, but we are able to achieve the best possible outcome for these chronically ill patients in a cost efficient manner."

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 7.07 billion EUR, orders of 8.12 billion EUR and group profit of 1.05 billion EUR for fiscal 2004. More information can be obtained by visiting http://www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.