Mountain View, Calif. -- Based on its recent analysis of the interventional radiology market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Siemens Healthcare with the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Company of the Year. Siemens's technology and product innovation-centered growth strategy has helped it maintain its lead and momentum in market expansion, even during the recent industry-wide slowdown. Its smart innovations, backed by the value they generate at various levels of the care continuum, including clinical care, business enterprise as well as patients, have not only enhanced the standard of care but also offered myriad clinical and operational benefits.

While it comes as no surprise that a top-rung participant like Siemens Healthcare sells to the premium product tier, it is showing a keen interest in the mid-to-low tiers of the market as well. Its flexible configurations are tailored to the needs of each customer, generating significant value in every market segment.

"In addition to competing effectively at both ends of the market, Siemens Healthcare can also pride itself on creating entirely new product tiers," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Principal Nadim Daher. "Siemens has been at the forefront of the early development of hybrid interventional imaging solutions over the last 10 years, with Artis zeego being the first such solution to enter the market in 2007-more than two years ahead of the competition."

Much like it widened the scope of interventional imaging in modern-day clinical practice, Siemens Healthcare forged ahead in the sphere of three-dimensional (3D) visualization in the interventional lab with its syngo DynaCT. Remarkably, it has been able to maintain that edge even today, nearly 10 years later. Siemens's latest product launches have enhanced all the major product elements of image quality, acquisition speed, and the dose and contrast efficiency in 3D imaging.

Siemens Healthcare's new line of premium angiography systems, the Artis Q product line, embodies enhancements such as syngo DynaCT Micro as well as numerous other advances such as Q.zen. In the Q.zen configuration, advances include a newly designed digital crystalline silicon detector that allows better detail visualization at lower radiation dosages. These new systems incorporate Siemens' second-generation of proprietary X-ray tube flat emitter technology, which also contributes to higher dose efficiency of these systems.

Siemens Healthcare can be deemed the first vendor to ever bring functional imaging to a clinical setting during interventional procedures. Similar to its hybrid interventional imaging solution, Siemens' parenchymal blood volume (PBV) technology, syngo DynaPBV, is another industry first. Following its release in 2009 as a breakthrough neurology application for brain imaging (syngo DynaPBV Neuro), the syngo DynaPBV Body applies 3D functional imaging in a whole new set of interventional radiology procedures.

The highly sophisticated algorithms that constitute the CARE and CLEAR software packages represent another layer of product differentiation for Siemens. The CARE portfolio builds on the legacy of cutting-edge dose reduction, monitoring, and reporting techniques and is delivered to customers as standard-not at added costs-in all of Siemens' Artis zee, zeego, Q, and Q.zen systems.

"As an established interventional radiology vendor of choice in the largest number of university and academic hospitals in the U.S., Siemens Healthcare is best suited to address the needs of newly consolidated hospital networks," noted Daher. "It is also strategically placed to help in the creation of clinical specialty centers of excellence in cardiology, trauma and oncology."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Siemens Healthcare

"The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare.

By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 51,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2012 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 13.6 billion euros and profit of 1.8 billion euros. For further information please visit: http://www.siemens.com/healthcare.

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