Cancer care advances — but at what cost?

Although incremental improvements in cancer care were unveiled at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in Chicago, USA, — the world's largest gathering of cancer specialists, our correspondent Ian Mason writes that, even as new study results were being reported, their cost implications for stretched healthcare budgets were questioned.

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Switzerland to adopt DRGs system

The Swiss hospital system is facing a radical change. Billing by Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) is about to be introduced. European Hospital's correspondent in Switzerland, Dr André Weissen,* approached Dr Carlo Conti, President of SwissDRG AG to discuss some of the controversial issues involved in the switch to DRGs

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Be prepared for the pandemic flu

The next pandemia will come - rather sooner than later. The respiratory protection of frontline staff is a major part of healthcare facilities' preparation. To assist hospitals, ECRI Institute and the International Association of Healthcare Safety and Security present the web conference "Respiratory Protection: Preparing for Pandemic Flu" on July 17, 2008.

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European ministers sign charter against inequity in health systems

It was a tough project but in the end the ministers of health of 53 countries - the WHO European Region - agreed on a groundbreaking paper on healthcare, committing themselves to concrete actions to fight the fact that many people have no easy and affordable access to quality healthcare. They will strengthen a system that will allow both their own people and the international community to hold…

Private medicine - A Russian evolution

The development of private medicine in Russia has reached a new level, according to Sergej Anoufriev, CEO of the St Petersburg Association of Clinics (set up by 13 private clinics two years ago). Private clinics have become a real part of the Russian healthcare system and people increasingly choose private medical services. However, the state and private organisations solve the same problems…

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Gaining ground: Modern financing instruments for hospitals

Cars, cranes, IT - leasing has become a very popular method of financing. And it is about to conquer the ICUs, ORs and imaging departments of hospitals and clinics. According to the association of German leasing companies (Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing-Unternehmen e.V.), in 2005 the leasing volume for medical technology increased by 20 percent compared to the prior year.

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Restructuring in the hospital sector

The hospital sector has recently been facing increased competition law scrutiny, in particular in Germany. During the last few years the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has made it clear on a number of occasions that mergers between hospitals (private as well as public-law hospitals) are just as much subject to competition law provisions as any other merger cases.

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The 10,000th Alphamaquet

This June, the 10,000th Alphamaquet surgical table made by Maquet GmbH of Rastatt, Germany, will be delivered to the department of thoracic surgery at Barmherzigen Brüder Hospital, Regensburg, along with other Maquet medical technology on order.

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World Wide Health Taiwan 2008

The medical travel industry has been sprouting the interest of healthcare providers ever so rapidly that some are classified as “swimmer who jumps into a pool without really checking out the temperature of the water”. What healthcare providers have to realize is that if they wish to be a part of the borderless endeavor, they have to prioritize on a globally acceptable structure to be pursued…

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Re-inventing the hospital

Over the past few years, hospitals in Germany have been faced with ever new challenges. However, the solutions offered so far are not sufficient. On the contrary - rather than solving problems, they tend to create new ones. A change of paradigm in the organisation of hospitals is imminent and hospitals have to change radically, argues Holger Richter

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conhIT: The future place to be for healthcare IT providers?

From 2004 to 2007 VHitG (Verband der Hersteller von IT-Systemen im Gesundheitswesen) and Messe Frankfurt jointly organised ITeG (IT-Messe und Dialog im Gesundheitswesen). When VhitG moved the event to Berlin, this cooperation ended and Messe Berlin came on board as new partner for what is now called conhIT. The organisation team headed by Jens Naumann, VhitG chairman, developed an entirely new…

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Simple checklists could save healthcare billions

Intensive care units are associated with the best state-of-the-art technology and round-the-clock treatment from experts. However, patients who enter ICUs risk hospital acquired infections (HAI), which are not only very expensive to treat but also could kill them.

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Fundraising

Health service budgets often cannot be stretched to buy a vital piece of equipment or new state-of-the-art department. However, by stimulating social consciousness money from the public can flood in - even enough to build an entire new hospital.

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Managed services in patient data archiving: The impact on IT, finance and physicians

Storing, archiving and sharing patient information in an intelligent and controlled manner is one of the 'hot topics' for healthcare organisations, was Pierre-Yves Nectoux' message at the Hospital Management Symposium. Mr Nectoux, business manager of e-Health Managed Services for Carestream Health in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has been actively involved in EU e-Health initiatives in his…

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Apply Proven Ideas from Industry to Hospital Management, Recommends Siemens Healthcare Executive.

“P to the power of 3” was the formula that Siemens used to make the global corporation profitable and competitive again after a troublesome period in the 1990's. Britta Fünfstück, head of business development/strategy at Siemens Healthcare, told attendees at the Hospital Management Symposium that this formula represents a commitment to People working in a high performance culture, Process,…

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