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Siemens Medical Solutions and Partners HealthCare Enter into Agreement to Advance Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) in Healthcare IT

Posted on: Monday, 11 June 2007, 09:00 CDT

Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Malvern, PA, (www.usa.siemens.com/medical) and Partners HealthCare, Boston, MA, announced today that they have finalized an agreement in which the two organizations will collaborate on advanced technologies for healthcare information technology (IT). The two organizations will work jointly on further development of innovative Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) infrastructure in healthcare IT.

Leveraging both organizations' domain expertise in technology and in healthcare, as well as their long-standing relationship focused on medical imaging, the alliance will result in extraordinary benefits for the healthcare IT field. Recognizing Partners' leadership and depth of medical informatics and clinical domain knowledge, Siemens and Partners will leverage their respective areas of expertise to jointly develop clinical services within the Soarian® SOA platform.

Siemens has been extensively engaged in developing SOA -- a robust, flexible architectural design strategy that is being deployed across its Soarian suite of applications. More than a traditional hospital information system, Soarian was designed with a workflow orientation that manages not just transactions and data, but also the process of healthcare and the interactions between members of the care team. With the quest for safe, efficient, and superior patient care at the heart of every healthcare organization, Soarian helps facilitate more informed decision-making and more efficient practices through the healthcare enterprise.

SOA delivers the capability to individually extend, reuse and access services -- software components that implement a business task or process. Deploying SOA into complex healthcare processes improves system flexibility and agility and greatly optimizes workflow throughout the healthcare enterprise -- while improving the user experience.

"Bringing SOA into healthcare information technology is truly cutting-edge. The growing pressure to embrace interoperability and integration of technology and knowledge within the framework of initiatives such as the electronic health record, demands no less than a completely new approach to the development of solutions, including the evolution of SOA," said Janet Dillione, president, Health Services, the Healthcare IT Division of Siemens Medical Solutions. "Siemens is pleased to lead the industry in this effort and proud to have Partners HealthCare--such a highly respected organization--as our ally in this endeavor."

"We are excited to begin this alliance with Siemens and eager to capitalize on our organizations' respective areas of expertise in order to deliver unprecedented healthcare IT innovation to the market," said John Glaser, vice president and chief information officer, Partners HealthCare System. "Our teams are in the process of kicking off this SOA collaboration and immersing themselves in this first-of-its-kind, industry-evolving project."

About Partners HealthCare

Partners HealthCare is a Boston-based integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital that also includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, and home health and long-term care services. Further information can be found by visiting www.partners.org.

About Siemens Medical Solutions

Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. 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. Recent acquisitions in the area of in-vitro diagnostics -- such as Diagnostic Products Corporation and Bayer Diagnostics -- mark a significant milestone for Siemens as it becomes the first full service diagnostics company. Employing more than 41,000 people worldwide and operating in over 130 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 8.23 billion EUR, orders of 9.33 billion EUR and group profit of 1.06 billion EUR for fiscal 2006 (Sept. 30). Further information can be found by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.

Source: Business Wire

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