CHICAGO, Nov. 13, 2006 The diagnostic tools are in place, but the linkage between imaging machines and data management systems needs to be tighter if cardiovascular practices have any hope of keeping up with the ever-growing patient volume, experts at Siemens Medical Solutions said at the American Heart Associations (AHA) Scientific Sessions this week..

According to the AHA, 43.9 million Americans under the age of 65 have one or more types of cardiovascular disease, and survival rates of first episode of CV event are at all-time highs. However, with more patients undergoing diagnostic care more frequently, conventional data management resources need to be updated to manage the images and information of todays leading technologies. Non-integrated workflow and information will ultimately negatively impact the quality of care, as well as increase the costs for patients and practices alike.

The integration of workflow and information is key to the efficiency needed to address the growing demand for Cardiology Services, said Bappa Choudhury, vice president of Segment Management, Global Solutions, Siemens Medical Solutions. Cardiovascular practices can pursue the latest in diagnostic imaging technology, but without a data management system to catch and manage the information produced by this technology, physicians will not achieve the levels of productivity they will need to get the most value out of these investments.


Traditionally, elements of the diagnostic cardiovascular practices have resided in silos the clinician captured the basic images provided by various modalities; a tech would transferred the images to either printed form or on to a computer; and the clinician read and interpreted the results.

However, with patient volume increasing, a premium is put on the time required for data transfer and assessment critical time that could be used to handle the patient influx. Yet the latest innovations in integrated data management are allowing clinicians to save time and money, and improve outcomes for patients in the cardiovascular suite.

Siemens Medical Closing the Gap With Innovative Solutions
Choudhury pointed to an integrated suite of modality and information technology systems showcased by Siemens Medical at the AHA conference as examples of the leading innovations in diagnostic modalities, and the data management systems that are tied to those modalities that are helping to close the gaps between image and information:

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