MALVERN, Pa., October 19, 2005 - Siemens Medical Solutions announced that more than 100 imaging systems at sites across the U.S. are now safeguarded by the Siemens Guardian Program, an enhanced productivity service designed to detect potential system problems which could jeopardize productivity and patient safety.

Introduced in 2004, the Guardian Program provides angiography/X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging customers with comprehensive, preventive care for increased availability and functionality of medical systems. Running constant diagnostics to check the parameters of modality systems, remote technical service engineers can spot and seamlessly repair many malfunctions before they cause system downtime. If a problem is not easily corrected remotely, a field engineer is deployed to provide onsite support or to replace any defective parts -- and the process begins without customers placing a single call. Guardian customers are realizing the benefits of proactive monitoring throughout the facility, including the cath lab.

"We had an issue with potential loss of function in a foot pedal," said James Ruggeiro, manager of biomedical engineering services, Sarasota Memorial Hospital. "Guardian picked up on that and a field engineer showed up and replaced the footswitch, all of which was totally seamless. Guardian predicted the potential deviation and avoided unnecessary downtime that would have cost us thousands of dollars."
In addition, Guardian's remote real time monitoring capabilities and constant access to technical experts can also offer customers up to a 99 percent system uptime guarantee, providing hospitals with the security necessary to ultimately increase productivity and provide patients with more accurate and efficient imaging.

"As healthcare facilities continue to grow with the constant addition of medical systems, it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor these technologies for malfunctions," said Randy Hill, senior vice president of national service, customer solutions group, Siemens Medical Solutions. "Guardian customers rely on Siemens' technology and service to make sure their systems are productive and safe. The fact that there are more than 100 systems benefiting from Guardian just one year since its introduction confirms it is a powerful solution."

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