Siemens Technology Workshop in Boston to Give Hands-on Experience in Advanced Oncology Information Management.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

CONCORD, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 25, 2000

The Oncology Care Systems Group of Siemens Medical Systems will conduct a users forum prior to the ASTRO 2000 show on Saturday, Oct.21st in Boston, MA. Oncology clinic staff will learn the latest methods and enabling technologies for managing patient records electronically using the world's most widely installed oncology information management system - LANTIS.

Siemens LANTIS(R) Oncology Information Management System provides instant access to electronic patient records for radiation and medical oncology departments from one comprehensive system. With LANTIS, hospitals and clinics can better manage the complex process of treatment and combined therapy. Research indicates that combined therapies promise to be most effective in the battle against certain cancers while minimizing side effects. With LANTIS, physicians can manage the chemotherapy and radiation process using a single electronic chart. All LANTIS applications access the same comprehensive database so data needs to be entered one time only, thereby increasing productivity and reducing the potential for human error.

According to Catherine Britton, Senior Product Manager, "If information management systems are designed properly and used effectively, they have the ability to aid the caregivers in streamlining delivery of patient care and managing patient-related outcomes data. The rapidly advancing state-of-the-art in web applications, thin clients, and wireless computing provides the enabling technology for the information systems to be more useable in the clinical setting: to be more mobile, to be more accessible at the point of care, and to bridge distance between caregivers. "

The user forum will include learning sessions for LANTIS applications, technology workshops for emerging technologies, and user-led sessions highlighting actual clinical experience with LANTIS. The technology workshops will be set up so that participants can get some hands on experience with new technologies such as Palm Pilots, pen computers, Wireless LANs, Noting using Voice Recognition, Distance Learning technology, and desktop video teleconferencing. Says Britton, "Our periodic gatherings of users are very popular. They foster relationships and mutual learning. Siemens learns from our guests new requirements and needs. The attendees learn from Siemens new technologies and features and, from each other, new methods of using existing capabilities."

Siemens Oncology Care Systems Group manufactures and develops a wide range of radiation therapy products for the worldwide oncology market. The website address is www.siemensoncology.com. The company is part of Siemens Medical Engineering Group, Erlangen, Germany, one of the largest suppliers of healthcare services in the world. The Medical Engineering Group employs 19,000 worldwide and reported fiscal year-end sales of $5 billion. In the U.S., the Oncology Care Systems Group is part of Siemens Medical Systems, Inc. Iselin, N.J., which employs nearly 4,500 people in the U.S. and reported annual sales of approximately $1.8 billion.

Note to Editors: LANTIS is a registered trademark of the Oncology Care Systems Group of Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.